Philippine ‘provocation’ caused near-crash

Pushing boundaries: Philippine coast guards head towards the Philippine-occupied West York island. — AFP

Beijing: China said that a near-collision in the South China Sea between a Chinese coast guard ship and a Philippine patrol vessel carrying journalists was caused by the latter’s “premeditated and provocative action”.

The near-miss off the Spratly Islands on Sunday was the latest in a long string of incidents between China and the Philippines in the contested waterway.