Filipinos Rally Over Tensions At The South China Sea

MAKATI, PHILIPPINES - JULY 12: Filipinos hold a mock Chinese flag with a collage of the faces of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping during an anti-China protest outside the Chinese Embassy on July 12, 2019 in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. Protests marked the third anniversary of the Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration decision on the West Philippine Sea, which in 2016 ruled in favor of the Philippines and rejected China's claims on the disputed waters. On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte dared the US to declare war on Chinese forces in the West Philippine Sea, arguing that the US should support the Philippines with military force if China does not respect international shipping lanes. The statement comes amidst rising tensions in the region, just weeks after the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese fishing vessel at the Reed Bank tablemount part of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone which left all 22 Filipino crew floating at sea before being rescued by a nearby Vietnamese fishing vessel. President Duterte later sided with the Chinese vessel, and announced that China will continue to fish even in waters that fall under Philippine territory. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)