Philippines, China trade accusations over South China Sea vessel clash

The Philippines and China accused each other on Sunday of responsibility for a maritime confrontation near disputed islands in the South China Sea, further escalating tensions in the resource-rich waterway. The Philippine Maritime Council, an inter-agency government body, blamed Chinese maritime forces for deploying water cannon and ramming a Filipino vessel near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, locally known as Pag-asa, "strongly condemning" the incident and vowing to pursue "appropriate diplomatic action". According to Manila's coast guard, three vessels were anchored near the island early on Sunday as part of a government program to protect local fishermen when Chinese ships reportedly approached and used water cannon to intimidate them. An hour later, a Chinese coast guard ship allegedly fired its water...