THITU ISLAND, South China Sea –
Because the Philippine Coast Guard aircraft descended towards the nation’s most strategically necessary outpost within the disputed South China Sea, passengers’ telephones lit up with a roaming alert: “Welcome to CHINA.”
Amongst these on board had been Senator Risa Hontiveros and Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela, each outspoken critics of Beijing’s actions within the South China Sea.
After touchdown on Saturday, they spoke to island residents to reaffirm that Thitu Island “is ours,” whilst Chinese language Coast Guard vessels, a Individuals’s Liberation Military Navy ship, and a few Chinese language fishing boats lingered close by of the shore.
