MANILA: The Philippine military has rejected Chinese allegations that troops stationed on a warship grounded on a disputed South China Sea shoal had pointed guns at its coast guard, insisting its forces maintained professional conduct.
Chinese state media reported on Sunday personnel on a Philippine ship pointed guns at China’s coast guard in May at the Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint for repeated flare-ups between the two nations. Philippine army chief Romeo Brawner stated that the grounded warship is a commissioned vessel of the Philippine navy so it is authorized to have arms. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, deploying a fleet of coast guard ships.
