Description
A new confrontation between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea is looming over ASEAN. Manila said the China Coast Guard used a baton to strike a sailor near the Second Thomas Shoal, but Beijing has accused Philippine personnel of initiating the attack using paddles and sticks. The encounter comes as ASEAN foreign ministers and their counterparts from East Asia, the US, China and Russia start arriving in Manila for a week of high-level meetings. The disputed waterway and progress on a long-awaited code of conduct between ASEAN and China are high on the agenda. Leong Wai Kit reports from Metro Manila.