Philippines to probe report of Chinese sewage-dumping at sea

Chinese fishermen head to the shoal to fish at the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The Philippines' defence minister on Tuesday ordered the military to investigate a report by a US-based tech firm that hundreds of Chinese vessels were dumping sewage into contested areas of the South China Sea. - Reuters

MANILA, July 13 (Reuters): The Philippines' defence minister on Tuesday ordered the military to investigate a report by a US-based tech firm that hundreds of Chinese vessels were dumping sewage into contested areas of the South China Sea.

China maintains a constant presence of coastguard and fishing boats in the South China Sea to assert its claim of sovereignty, including hundreds in the Spratly islands, where the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia also have claims.