US Warns It Will Defend Philippines Against China

The Hill reports:

The United States is warning it will stand with and defend the Philippines after reports that Beijing’s Coast Guard used laser devices to temporarily blind the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship, according to the State Department.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price called China’s conduct “provocative and unsafe” and said it interfered with the Philippines’ “lawful operations” in the South China Sea.

The Philippines Coast Guard says that the “green laser light” illuminated twice and the Chinese vessel “made dangerous maneuvers” in the water, blocking the delivery of food and supplies to military personnel aboard the BRP Sierra Madre.

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