Philippines says Chinese vessels in disputed waters won’t deter ‘dangerous’ supply missions

In an encounter near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands on November 11, 2023, three Chinese speed boats pursued a Philippine coastguard rubber boat carrying journalists. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal, and has deployed hundreds of vessels to patrol there. The Philippines’ coastguard responded that it would maintain its regular supply missions to troops stationed on a disputed atoll in the South China Sea even though it expects more Chinese vessels to be sent to the area.