An Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) maritime domain awareness (MDA) patrol on Wednesday observed 11 China Coast Guard watercraft forces exercising at Second Thomas Shoal with several armed fast boats and rigid-hulled inflatable boats. Compared to previous instances of China Coast Guard small boats, the Philippine military noted that these vessels “have been upgraded with mounted weapons.”
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shows a Chinese small boat equipped with a heavy machine gun and crewed by personnel wearing camouflaged fatigues approaching the Philippine patrol.
