Firing at China sea concerns Philippines

MANILA: The Philippines on Friday expressed concern over reports a Chinese warship has fired a warning shot on a Filipino fishing boat near a reclaimed reef in the disputed South China Sea, Manila’s defence minister said.
China has been rapidly expanding its occupied reefs in the Spratly archipelago, alarming other claimants, and drawing sharp criticism from the United States, Japan and European States.
“If indeed this happened, it is a cause of grave concern.” Defense Minister Voltaire Gazmin told journalists in a text message from Tokyo, where he joined a four-day state visit by Philippine President Benigno Aquino.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have overlapping claims.
All but Brunei have fortified bases in the Spratlys, which are roughly 1,300 km (800 miles) from the Chinese mainland but much closer to the Southeast Asian claimants.
In Tokyo, Aquino said his nation was ready to start talks with Japan on allowing Japanese military aircraft and naval vessels to use Philippine bases to refuel and resupply, extending Tokyo’s range of operations into the South China Sea.
On Wednesday, Aquino made a veiled comparison between China’s activities in the South China Sea and Nazi Germany’s expansionism before World War Two.