Top of the article:
Nicola Smith, The Telegraph’s Asia Correspondent, was onboard a Philippine Coast Guard ship accompanying fishermen near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Tuesday when her vessel was attacked by the China Coast Guard
I was standing on the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard shipwhen a Chinese vessel opened fire with its water cannon.
The powerful jets of water initially looped into the air – but within seconds they had begun to batter our craft, pounding down on the stern of the ship.
There were moments of chaos: Filipino crew members dived for cover, screaming instructions to each other…
Yes, the details and global awareness of America’s increasingly significant investment in the relationship with the Philippines is important. This was nearly lost under Duterte and is a key bulwark against China’s aggression towards Taiwan. This is a milestone worth acknowledging as a trend in the right direction.
Long term we hope for ignoring him, but short term ignoring him gives the wrong impression to low information voters that he’s just fine, a regular politician. Then it’s just a toss up who they choose. No, he’s a dumpster fire and that needs to be screamed from the rooftops.