China Urges Philippines to Relocate Grounded Warship from Contested Reef

China has called on the Philippines to remove a grounded World War II warship, which Manila uses as a makeshift military base, from a reef in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines accused China's coastguard of firing water cannon at boats on a mission to resupply the Philippine garrison stationed on the grounded vessel. China has urged the Philippines to immediately remove the warship, stating that its requests have been ignored. The Philippines has responded by saying it will not abandon the disputed area. The Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines, has been a longstanding flashpoint between the two countries.