China blocked Philippine Coast Guard’s Starlink

The Chinese Coast Guard disrupted the Starlink Internet connection of several Philippine government ships and an aircraft on Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard announced. They were operating near Scarborough Shoal, just 120 nautical miles from the Philippines coast, and well within its maritime zone as defined by international law. But China rejects international law and claims almost the entire South China Sea, including sections belonging to the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Chinese forces routinely harass vessels from these nations to assert control over the vast region. This is the first known instance of China’s disruption of Starlink. “[W]hen our Starlink Internet connectivity is jammed,” said Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela, “it delays the transmission of information and also compromises the communication of the vessels.” Mr. Flurry has said China’s belligerence in this vital region is heading toward dramatic escalation. “China is intimidating the nations of Southeast Asia into submission to its will,” he wrote in 2016. “It is forcing these countries to do what it wants. Everything is headed in the direction of war.”