Senior Col News Today

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should unite against increasing Chinese interference and coercion, a US senator said amid the deepening maritime conflict between the Philippines and China.

(UPDATE) CHINA has accused the Philippines of trespassing in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea on Monday without the approval of the Chinese government.

A mission carried out by the USS Milius in the South China Sea on Monday is drawing criticism from Beijing, which is accusing the ship of having “illegally trespassed" in its territory.

A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed through the South China Sea on Monday, which Beijing claims as its own.

The Chinese military has announced a five-day exercise in the South China Sea in an area that overlaps a chain of disputed islands the U.S. Navy patrolled last week.

A U.S. guided-missile destroyer steamed past a disputed island chain in the South China Sea on Saturday, the second such operation meant to challenge “excessive maritime claims” in the region since Wednesday.

The U.S. Navy violated China’s sovereignty by sending the USS Benfold past the Paracel Islands, said the Chinese military command for the area.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates as more information becomes available. The Chinese military claimed U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur “trespassed” into Chinese waters near the Paracel Islands and was “warned off” by Chinese ships. The U.S. Navy responded, firmly rejecting China’s “expelling” claims, which China has made repeatedly over the years without proof. Spokesperson for the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern ...