‘Welcome to CHINA’ Greets Philippine Officials on Trip to Disputed South China Sea

Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros takes a photo of herself along with Philippine Western Command Acting Commander Commodore Charles Merric Villanueva, Kalayaan Mayor Beltzasar Alindogan and Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela in Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea, February 21, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Karen Lema

By Karen Lema

As the Philippine Coast Guard plane descended toward the country’s most strategically important outpost in the disputed South China Sea, passengers’ phones lit up with a roaming alert: “Welcome to CHINA.”

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by Reuters

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