Philippines opens a coast guard surveillance base in the South China Sea to watch Chinese vessels

Coast guard officers salute during ceremonies for the inauguration of their new building at the Philippine-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, at the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine coast guard inaugurated a new monitoring base Friday on a remote island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea as Manila ramps up efforts to counter China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the strategic waterway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) The Philippine coast guard inaugurated a new monitoring base Friday on a remote island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea as…