Philippine military authorities have alleged that Chinese coast guard personnel blocked a Philippine navy team on Sunday, hours before U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Manila.
The Philippine navy team was recovering unidentified metal debris near an island in the disputed South China Sea, was towing them to their post when a Chinese coast guard vessel blocked their passage.
The Chinese vessel deployed a manned vessel that «forcibly retrieved the floating object by cutting the towing cable» attached to the Philippine navy ship, said Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, regional military commander, reports DPA agency.
«The (Philippine navy) team decided to return to Pagasa island,» he said. «No team members were injured during this incident.»
Harris is meeting with Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, then will meet with President Ferninand Marcos Jr. to reaffirm and strengthen the alliance between Washington and Manila, as well as underline the cooperation between the two.
The Philippines and China are embroiled in a territorial dispute over over overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where Beijing has seized areas and built artificial islands with military-capable facilities. In addition to the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim the area, which is considered rich in natural resources, reports the dpa agency.
