News Snapshot:
(Bloomberg) -- The presence of China’s “maritime militia” near a South China Sea reef shows Beijing’s intent to occupy more disputed areas, according to a statement from Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. China has “done this before” in other contested areas like Scarborough Shoal and is “brazenly violating Philippine sovereignty,” Lorenzana said on Sunday. He was reacting to a statement from China’s embassy in Manila, which on Saturday described waters around the Whitsun Reef -- where hundreds of Chinese vessels were spotted early last month -- as “traditional fishing grounds” and “part of China’s Nansha Islands.” Lorenzana’s remarks signal a...
