Around the South China Sea, the tone is getting tougher. Yesterday, the Philippine Navy accused the Chinese Coast Guard of firing a military-grade laser at one of its ships, temporarily blinding its crew. Several countries, including the United States and Germany, have protested against the incident. Now China refutes the data, saying that the laser was only used to measure the distance to the Philippine ship. – The Chinese ship not only fired lasers, but also behaved threateningly in other ways, among other things they sailed very close to the Philippine ship, says TV4 Nyheternas reporter Per Elinder Liljas on site in Manila. Just a few days before the incident, the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, was in the Philippines and signed an agreement giving the US the right to use four military bases in the country. – It will change the balance of power a little and give the US a better opportunity to stand up to Chinese threats in the South China Sea but also in Taiwan. This is seen as a response from China to the US and the Philippines’ increasingly close relationship, comments Per Elinder Liljas. See photos from the event and the full report from the Philippines in the player above.
t4-general
Tense situation after laser provocation: “Seen as a response from China”
