Tensions between Manila and Beijing have escalated over the months-long presence of hundreds of Chinese boats in the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone. The Philippines has protested China's continuing "illegal presence and activities" near an island in the South China Sea held by the Southeast Asian nation, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. Tensions between Manila and Beijing have escalated over the months-long presence of hundreds of Chinese boats in the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone. This was at least the 84th diplomatic protest the Philippines has filed against China since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016. An international tribunal that year invalidated China's expansive claim in the South China Sea, where about $3 trillionworth of ship-borne trade passes annually.

Source: The Hindu May 29, 2021 04:31 UTC