Race to Fix Crumbling Ship Threatens Conflict in South China Sea.

At the heart of the recent tensions between the Philippines and China is a barely habitable ship that has, for over two decades, served as Manila's lone guardian in the Second Thomas Shoal. China has repeatedly accused Manila of infringing on its territorial sovereignty while Philippine officials, emboldened by an increasingly assertive President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., are weighing how best to add military heft to future missions. The Philippines is not the only nation at risk as the US accuses China of repeated incidents between its two militaries. [Extracted from the article]