MANILA: The Philippines accused China on Tuesday (Jan 14) of intimidating its fishermen at a disputed South China Sea shoal, and normalising an "illegal presence", after Beijing sent its largest coast guard vessel into Manila's maritime zone . The move comes against the backdrop of rising tension between the Philippines, a US treaty ally, and Beijing during the past two years, stemming from their overlapping claims in the busy waterway of the South China Sea. The Philippines has protested this