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Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The Chinese coast guard is accused of seizing space debris from a Philippines naval vessel in the South China Sea over the weekend in a serious military provocation just hours before Vice President Kamala Harris was set to arrive in Manila for a state visit. The metallic object was believed to be a remnant from China's Long March 5B rocket, which reached space from Hainan island in late October.
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The debris was found more than 600 miles from the launch site, but it's not clear how or when the Chinese coast guard became aware of it.
The incident was confirmed by the Philippine Armed Forces Western Command, which received a report of an object in the sea early Sunday.
The crew of a Philippine navy ship alleged that a Chinese coast guard vessel aggressively blocked its path twice before "forcefully retrieving" the object that was first spotted off Pagasa Island.
No shots were fired during the incident and no injuries have been reported.
The dramatic confrontation on the high seas occurred as Harris was en route to the Filipino island of Palawan to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June to replace the controversial Rodrigo Duterte, who had served as president of the country since 2016.
Harris is due to be in the Philippines for three days -- with her visit reaffirming the critical alliance between the Southeast Asian nation and the United States.
"We stand with you in defense of international rules and norms as it relates to the South China Sea," she told Marcos at the outset of the meeting. "In particular, as it relates to the Philippines, I will say that we must reiterate always that we stand with you in defense, an armed attack on the Philippines' armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke U.S. defense commitments. And that is an unwavering commitment that we have with the Philippines."
The South China Sea has long been the center of international tensions as several nations claim ownership of dozens of tiny islands in the region, with China's navy becoming increasingly belligerent of late.
Saturday's episode happened as the Philippines navy boat was towing the space object back to shore on an inflatable boat tethered to the ship.
The Chinese sailors reportedly met no resistance as they abruptly cut the tow line and reeled the object in.
Officials later said the Philippines crew held their fire because the object wasn't considered to be "a matter of life and death."
Officials at the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs were looking into the incident while suggesting an official review would come later.
Similar metal debris has been found recently in the waters off Busuanga Island in western Palawan, as well as Calintaan, a town in Occidental Mindoro province.
The Chinese government has previously faced criticism from the international community for its haphazard approach to space junk and allowing debris to fall dangerously back to Earth instead of building parts that would disintegrate in the atmosphere upon re-entry.
