A Chinese Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel in the South China Sea, causing a near collision in waters where Beijing's vast claims have alarmed the US and its allies.

The BBC witnessed the tense encounter near Second Thomas Shoal in the remote Spratly archipelago last Sunday - a move that Manila says is straight out of Beijing's playbook. And it happened the day after Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Manila, and expressed hope for open communication lines on the South China Sea dispute.

Throughout the 1,670km (1,038-mile) journey of two Philippine Coast Guard ships over six days, news cameras captured how - on cue and in specific locations - Chinese ships would shadow or tail the Filipinos, and send them radio warnings to leave or face "consequences". The Philippine Coast Guard said it had invited journalists to join their routine patrol in the hotly-contested waters for the first time to witness China's actions for themselves.

I’d sure love to see an international fleet of war ships showing the flag in this area China needs to <deleted> off!