The Philippines has accused China of escalating the countries' 10-day standoff in the disputed South China Sea by sending a third patrol vessel to a shoal where both sides claim sovereignty, according to AP. China's state-run Xinhua news agency said the patrol vessel was dispatched after the Philippines refused to withdraw its coast guard ship from Scarborough Shoal. Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a news conference in Manila on Friday that China's move is seen as an escalation. He said the Philippines plans to ask China's representatives why they violated an earlier agreement not to aggravate the situation. He added that the Philippines is ready to take the dispute to an international court despite China's earlier rejection of that idea.
