This comes after the Philippine Coast Guard reported that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel (CCGV) drove away a Filipino fishing boat while in the area on January 9, just days after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr went on a state visit to China from January 3 to 5.
The Philippines must keep in mind that Chinese investments are known to be predatory and opaque in nature, with terms that are heavily skewed against the recipient country.
President Xi Jinping stressed on building China into a strong maritime country is a "major strategic task for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
China's hegemonic desires in the South China Sea have resulted in a significant downfall in the relations between Manila and Beijing with increased hostilities, reported The HK Post.
The court decision went against the deal state-owned companies from the three nations signed the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JSMU), which allowed them to jointly explore for oil near waters surrounding the disputed Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea.
Since 2010, China has been converting uninhabited islets into artificial islets to bring them under UNCLOS. China has been changing the size and structure of the reefs by modifying their physical land features. It has also established airstrips on Parcel and Spratly.
The US military has dismissed China's accusation that its spy plane "engaged in dangerous manoeuvres against a Chinese Navy fighter jet" over the South China Sea on December 21, maintaining that it was the Chinese fighter which nearly resulted in the two aircraft to collide, reported Radio F
Intense Chinese military activity in the South China Sea is hardly unusual, although it's interesting to note that, in this case, the exercise scenario apparently targeted US Navy vessels specifically.
The United States has said that a Chinese J-11 fighter jet flew dangerously close to a US Air Force reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea, forcing the US plane to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a mid-air collision.
Satellite images from US officials show new land formations around the Spratly Islands. A Chinese vessel with a hydraulic excavator has been seen operating near the islands.
A Chinese fighter jet performed an unsafe manoeuvre after it came as close as 20 feet within a US military aircraft over the South China sea, The Hill reported on Thursday citing the US Indo-Pacific Command.