China is in hot water after already being accused of yoinking Chinese rocket wreckage found from disputed waters by a Philippine warship.
Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said the Chinese warship repeatedly stopped the Philippine military vessel before grabbing the debris it was dragging Saturday off Philippine-occupied Thitu island. He stated that no one was hurt in the event.
As reported by the BBC, the Philippine Navy accuses China of not only blocking its ships as they attempted to retrieve a metallic floating object recovered near the country's Thitu Island - which is part of the disputed Spratly Island geographical area in which the two nations and numerous others all claim ownership - but also of reportedly trying to cut a towing line that Filipino officials were employing to drag the object.
Chinese Space Rocket Remain
As per The Byte, China denied any coercive seizure and said that the wreckage, which it acknowledged originated from a Chinese rocket engine, was given over by Philippine authorities following a pleasant discussion. Chinese coast guard ships have formerly occluded Philippine supply vessels transporting reserves to Filipino fighters in the discussed waters, but seizing goods in the custody of another country's troops is a more spirited conduct. Carlos stated that the Filipino sailors discovered the wreckage drifting in heavy waves on a sandbar approximately 800 yards (540 meters) off shoreline while utilizing a protracted camera on Thitu island.
They launched a boat, collected the floating item, and began to drag it back onto the island. The Filipino sailors observed that a China coast guard ship with bow number 5203 was nearing their area and subsequently impeded their pre-planned path twice, Carlos mentioned in a statement.
The Chinese coast guard ship then sent an airboat with troops who forcibly removed the floating object by breaking the towing rope connecting to the rubber boat of the Filipino seamen. Carlos stated that the sailors opted to withdraw to their island without going into further detail.
China's Foreign Ministry disputed that the debris was taken forcibly. The Philippine side was the first to rescue and tow the item. The Philippine side surrendered the object to China after cordial consultations at the location, and China expressed gratitude, according to ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. At the scene, there wasn't any such thing as interdiction or violent seizure.
An aerial view of Thitu Island in the South China Sea. The Philippines has accused China’s coast guard of blocking its navy vessels and seizing suspected Chinese rocket debris it was towing.
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China's Space Debris
Metal debris following Chinese rocket launches, a portion of which resembled a Chinese flag, has been discovered in at least three previous cases in Philippine seas. Rockets flown in recent months from China's Hainan island's Wenchang Space Launch Center transported building materials and equipment for China's manned space station.
As reported by ABC News, China has previously been chastised for letting rocket components fall to Earth uncontrollably. Earlier this month, the Philippine Space Agency urged the Philippines to implement U.N. accords establishing a legal foundation for reimbursement for damage caused by other countries' space debris while NASA condemned Beijing last year of failing to satisfy reasonable requirements applied to their space rest right after scraps of a Chinese rocket plunged in the Indian Ocean.
The Philippine government already lodged many diplomatic objections against China for its aggressive activities in the South China Sea, but it has not yet stated what actions it would take in response to Sunday's incident. Normally, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila should wait for the results of an official inquiry before filing a protest.
RELATED ARTICLE: Chinese Rocket Space Junk Set to Crash in Philippines, Authorities Say
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