Philippine officials condemn China over debris showdown, boats massing in South China Sea

A Chinese Coast Guard ship sails near a Philippine Coast Guard vessel during its patrol at Bajo de Masinloc,west of Zambales province, northwestern Philippines on March 2, 2022. - AP

MANILA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Government officials in the Philippines have doubled down in criticising Beijing’s latest incursions in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels swarmed parts of the disputed waters in early December, mere weeks after an encounter between the Philippine Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard.

The criticism comes less than a month before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is set to go to Beijing for a state visit on Jan 3 to 6. Marcos has been striking a delicate balancing act between China and the United States amid an intensifying battle between the two superpowers for influence in South-East Asia.