This photo taken on September 22, 2023 shows Chinese coast guard personnel taking photos after their vessel blocked a Philippine ship approaching the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, snatched control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012. Since then, it has deployed coast guard and other vessels to block or restrict access to the fishing ground that has been tapped by generations of Filipinos. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)