Philippines asks China for explanation over latest sea feud

The Philippines has sought an explanation from China after a Filipino military commander reported that the Chinese coast guard forcibly seized Chinese rocket debris in the possession of Filipino navy personnel in the disputed South China Sea.
Sunday’s incident off Philippine-occupied Thitu island is the latest flareup in the long-seething territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. China has denied its coast guard forcibly seized the debris from the Filipino sailors.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson in Manila, Maria Theresa Daza, said without elaborating that a diplomatic note was relayed to China for “clarification from the Chinese side over the incident.”
Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, who heads the military’s Western Command, said the Filipino sailors, using a long-range camera, spotted the debris drifting in strong waves near a sandbar about 540 meters offshore. They set out on a boat and retrieved the floating object and started to tow it back to Thitu Island.
Carlos said in a statement, as they were traveling back to the island, “they noticed that a China coast guard vessel with bow number 5203 was approaching their location and subsequently blocked their pre-plotted course twice.”