The Philippines Turns off the Cameras in the South China Sea

Journalists filming as a China Coast Guard vessel sails in front of the BRP Sindangan during a supply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on March 5, 2024. AM STA ROSA / AFP

This weekend dashed any hopes that tensions between China and the Philippines over territorial disputes in the South China Sea would ease following an agreement reached last week.

The deal, which concerned resupply missions to the ageing World War II-era warship BRP Sierra Madre that serves as Manila’s outpost on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, was definitely progress, but the back-and-forth sniping that’s taking place now shows just how little trust there is between these two countries.

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by Eric Olander

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