Chinese ship blocks Philippine vessel as journalists watch

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

ABOARD BRP MALABRIGO (AP) — A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel steaming into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing a frightening near-collision in the latest act of Beijing’s aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coast guard’s BRP Malapascua on Sunday morning near the Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments it and another Philippine patrol vessel encountered recently in the disputed sea. The Philippine coast guard had invited The Associated Press and other journalists to join the weeklong patrol in a strategy to expose China’s aggressive acts and generate international awareness.