US Ally Spots 50 Chinese Ships in Disputed South China Sea Waters

The game of chicken between China and U.S. defense treaty ally the Philippines continues in the South China Sea, with Manila saying there are currently about 50 Chinese ships in contested waters. The total includes more than a dozen China-flagged ships at Scarborough Shoal, where China claimed it expelled a patrolling Philippines fisheries bureau last week, despite ship-tracking data showing the ship to still be in the area shortly afterward. Manila said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship was at the atoll to support local fishermen, whom the Chinese coast guard had recently been filmed ejecting from their…