MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine coast guard is conducting drills in the West Philippine Sea which an official said Sunday were part of efforts to secure “our maritime jurisdiction” over the disputed waters.
The exercises near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and China-controlled Scarborough Shoal come amid heightened tensions over the resource-rich sea.
The latest diplomatic wrangle between the two countries was triggered by the detection last month of hundreds of Chinese vessels in the Spratly Islands.
Most of the boats have since dispersed around the contested archipelago.
China — which claims almost the entirety of the sea — has refused repeated demands by…
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