Philippines opens a coast guard surveillance base in the South China Sea to watch Chinese vessels

By JIM GOMEZ, AARON FAVILA and JOEAL CALUPITAN
Associated Press

THITU ISLAND, South China Sea (AP) — The Philippine coast guard has opened a new surveillance base on a remote island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea as Manila ramps up efforts to counter China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the strategic waterway. Philippine officials flew to Thitu Island on an air force plane Friday and led a ceremony to open the center equipped with a radar and other surveillance equipment. Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships have intensified this year in the contested waters and have fueled fears of a larger conflict that could involve the United States.