China’s coast guard used a military-grade laser to disrupt a resupply mission by the Philippines in the South China Sea, Philippine authorities said—the latest in a series of encounters that have raised tensions in the disputed waterway.
The Philippine coast guard said in a statement Monday that Chinese coast guard vessels accompanied by boats belonging to China’s maritime militia created a blockade Feb. 6 around an atoll known as Second Thomas Shoal, which China also claims. The statement said the Chinese vessels deliberately prevented Philippine vessels from reaching an outpost there that has been a source of contention between the two nations in the past.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.