Filipinos, Vietnamese protest China’s territorial claims

Protest rally in front of San Francisco Chinese Consulate. File photo by Rodel Rodis

MANILA, Philippines — Hundreds of protesters, including some Vietnamese, have gathered to protest China’s claims to much of the territory in the South China Sea.

Waving Philippine flags and blowing horns, the protesters massed Wednesday in front of a building housing the Chinese consulate. The Chinese consulate closed its visa office due to the protest.

The crowd of about 500 was watched by police anti-riot squads.

Recent confrontations involving Chinese surveillance ships and those from the Philippines and Vietnam have ratcheted tensions in disputed offshore areas that straddle busy shipping lanes and are potentially rich in oil and gas.