Satellite images have revealed about 60 Chinese vessels crowding near Thitu Island, a key territory controlled by the Philippines in the South China Sea.
The photos taken by Maxar Technologies and reviewed by Reuters show some ships two nautical miles from the island.
Thitu Island, locally called Pag-Asa, is the Philippines’ most important outpost in the region, and it is used to monitor Chinese activities in these busy waters.
The head of the Philippines’ Western Command,...