island base

Earlier, a huge Chinese navy ship shadowed the two Philippine patrol vessels in the dark of night as they cruised near Subi, one of seven barren reefs China has transformed in the last decade into a missile-protected island base.

The broken boat was towed to the Terminal Island base by the Coast Guard’s Cutter Blackfin.

The Navy studied the increasingly contentious Whidbey Island base, as well as a base in California.

In 2020, KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare aircraft also were deployed on a third island base on Fiery Cross Reef.

The gathering of the Chinese-flagged vessels, along with four Chinese navy ships at a Chinese-occupied manmade island base, “is hazardous to navigation and safety of life at sea” and may damage coral reefs and threaten the Philippines’ sovereign rights, a government body overseeing the disputed waters said.