'Only pirates do this,' a general said after China's Coast Guard, armed with bladed weapons, clashed with Philippine boats in the South China Sea

Fri, 06/21/2024 - 11:59

A China Coast Guard vessel and China Coast Guard personnel on a rubber boat. — This photo taken on February 15, 2024, shows an aerial view of a China Coast Guard vessel and China Coast Guard personnel on a rubber boat over Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
JAM STA ROSA / AFP

A Philippine general called China's coast guard pirates after a violent confrontation.
China's Coast Guard disrupted a Philippine resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal.
Experts say it's not piracy, but it's a troubling escalation all the same.

The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines accused China of behaving like pirates after members of China's coast guard aggressively clashed with Philippine vessels running a resupply mission on Monday, wielding bladed weapons.