Incident in the South China Sea – shortly before the arrival of US Vice President Harris Rising sea levels also threaten rocky coasts, according to study

Incident in the disputed South China Sea: According to the Philippine military, the Chinese Coast Guard blocked a naval vessel in the country. The team was recovering unidentified metal debris near an island claimed by the Philippines on Sunday when China’s coast guard intervened and took the metal object, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, a regional military commander, said Monday.

To do this, the Chinese cut the towline attached to the Philippine ship. No one was injured in the incident, police said. It happened about 700 meters off the coast of Pag-asa Island, part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Pag-asa is the largest of the Philippine-administered islands in the group.

Just a few hours later, US Vice President Kamala Harris landed in the Philippines on Sunday evening (local time). On Tuesday she wants to visit Puerto Princesa in the western island province of Palawan, which also includes the island of Pag-asa. Observers think the visit could fuel tensions with China.

Relations between the two world powers are at an all-time low. Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping met US President Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali last week. Xi and Harris briefly met at the Apec Summit in Thailand this weekend.

China claims all of the strategically important Spratly Islands, while Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines each claim part of the islands. There are military garrisons on many of the otherwise uninhabited islands. (sda/dpa)