China ‘pushing Philippines to the wall’ with aggression in South China Sea

A Philippines security official has said China is ‘pushing us to the wall’ with growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea (Philippine Coast Guard/AP)

A Philippines security official said on Tuesday that China is “pushing us to the wall” with growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea and warned that “all options are on the table” for Manila’s response, including new international lawsuits.

A large Chinese coast guard ship patrolled the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in recent days and then sailed toward the north-western coast of the Philippines on Tuesday, coming as close as 77 nautical miles (143km), officials told a news conference.