China is escalating tensions in the South China Sea to test how far the US supports one of its allies, military analyst says

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A Philippine coast guard vessel and a Chinese coast guard vessel during an incident in the South China Sea on August 19, 2024.
A Philippine coast guard vessel and a Chinese coast guard vessel during an incident in the South China Sea on August 19, 2024.

China Coast Guard via Weibo/Handout via REUTERS

Philippines says China shot flares near its aircraft from a 'militarized' island in latest incident over the disputed South China Sea

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Philippine Coast Guard image it says shows a Chinese jet firing flares.
A Philippine Coast Guard image that it says shows a Chinese fighter jet firing flares.

Philippine Coast Guard/X

China's shipbuilders are teasing a new coast guard 'mothership,' and there's talk it could be an aircraft or drone carrier

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An aerial drone photo taken on May 17 shows the China Coast Guard CCG 3502 fleet conducting formation training in waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao.
China's Coast Guard has been ramping up its acquisition of bigger and bolder vessels, and word of a new "mothership" is fueling speculation it could be an aircraft or drone carrier.

Wang Yuguo/Xinhua via Getty Images

A naval chief described purposefully wrecking a ship to mess with China

Tech Insider : Politics
A photo of Philippine marines raising the flag on the BRP Sierra Madre while others salute.
Philippine Marines raise the flag on the BRP Sierra Madre in 2014. The ship remains a functional outpost in the South China Sea.

Bullit Marquez/AP Photos

Beijing's 'monster ship,' the world's largest coastguard vessel, dropped anchor in the South China Sea

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China Coast Guard anchored in the exclusive economic zone
China Coast Guard anchored in the exclusive economic zone

Philippine Coast Guard

China says it picked up a submarine detector dropped by a US Navy aircraft in the South China Sea

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P-8A Poseidon dropping a device replicating a Mk-54 torpedo
The aircraft in the video released by Chinese state media looked like a US Navy P-8A Poseidon, and it was dropping what looked like a sonobuoy, which is a kind of acoustic sensor used to track submarines.

US Navy/Greg L. Davis

Filipino soldiers who faced off against Chinese coast guards armed with axes and knives given medals

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Chinese Coast Guard holding knives and machetes as they approach Philippine troops in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea
Chinese coast guard holding knives and machetes as they approach Philippine boats in the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024.

Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP, File

'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

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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

See the rusting warship central to the Philippines' South China Sea claims that Beijing tries to keep from holding on

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An image of a dilapidated and rusted ship sitting in the ocean.
The BRP Sierra Madre docked at the Second Thomas Shoal, protecting the Philippine's sea rights.

JAM STA ROSA/Getty Images

Risky intercepts show China's fighter pilots are 'willing to challenge' the US as their planes increasingly meet in the air, former aviator says

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A screenshot from the USINDOPACOM video showing a Chinese J-11 fighter jet intercepting a US Air Force B-52 aircraft.
INDOPACOM said the video the Chinese J-11 fighter pilot "executed an unsafe intercept" of a US Air Force B-52 aircraft in late October.

USINDOPACOM

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