A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel steaming into Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, causing a near-collision, in the latest act of Beijing’s aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off Sunday between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coast guard’s BRP Malapascua near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal was among the tense moments the ship and another Philippine vessel encountered in a weeklong sovereignty patrol in one of the world’s most hotly contested waterways.

Phl, China coast guard ships in near-collision. (2023, April 28). The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 6.