SOUTH CHINA SEA tensions have erupted, with an army chief warning Beijing is creating a “potential flash point” with its military force.
A Philippine armed forces chief said military posturing in the disputed waters has created a “very tense” situation. Beijing has claimed nearly all of the South China Sea as its own.
Philippine Army general Gilbert Gapay told reporters on Tuesday that China’s aggressive posturing puts risks around other countries going into conflict in the waters.
Speaking at a forum, he said: “It’s very tense. The situation has now become more tense because China is conducting its own unilateral exercises. It even fired its own missile.
“It is really a potential flash point in this part of the globe.”
A visiting Chinese foreign minister in Malaysia said the waters should not be “teeming with warships”.