Philippine Vessel Escalation: Guns Spotted by China's Coast Guard

China's Coast Guard reported spotting personnel on a Philippine vessel carrying guns on deck in the disputed waters near the Second Thomas Shoal. This incident forms part of the ongoing maritime tensions between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea.

China's Coast Guard discovered that personnel on a Philippine vessel in disputed waters last month "carried guns on deck", Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said in a post on social media on Sunday.

The incident occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal, it said, an area of the South China Sea where Beijing and Manila have had an escalating maritime dispute for months.