South China Sea: Philippines accuses China of ‘dangerous challenges’ near Scarborough Shoal
- Manila says two of its vessels were affected during patrols and maritime exercises in the area
- Protests come as Beijing imposes a fishing ban in a large part of the disputed waterway
In a statement on Tuesday night, Hermogenes Esperon, a national security adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte, said the China Coast Guard conducted “shadowing, blocking, dangerous manoeuvres and radio challenges” to two Philippine Coast Guard vessels in the waters near the shoal late last month.
The shoal is a group of tiny, low-lying rocky islets off the east coast of Luzon, the main island in the Philippines, and is claimed by both countries. It is known as Huangyan Island in China.
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Philippine coastguard sends strong warning to Chinese vessels during South China Sea patrol
The statement did not say how many Chinese vessels were involved or how the encounter developed, but it did add that Philippine Coast Guard vessels were on their way to the area “to enforce our fisheries laws and protect our fishermen” as part of the rotational patrols of Scarborough Shoal.
The shoal is a traditional fishing ground in the region and was at the centre of a stand-off between China and the Philippines in 2012 that prompted Manila to file an arbitration case against Beijing over its claims.
The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said earlier this week that diplomatic protests had been filed against the Chinese coastguard’s actions at Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippines also said it dispersed Chinese “maritime militia” ships – fishing vessels in paramilitary service – in the waters near Sabina Shoal, an atoll in the Spratly Islands about 600km (370 miles) from Scarborough Shoal.
Esperon said seven Chinese vessels “nested or in stationary liner formation” were seen near the Sabina Shoal on April 27 and left 20 minutes after several attempts by the Philippine Coast Guard to make them leave.
Manila has filed several protests to Beijing over the massing of the Chinese fishing boats, though Beijing claimed at that time that the Chinese vessels were taking shelter from bad weather.
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Philippines sounds alarm over 200 Chinese ships in the South China Sea
The protests come as Beijing imposes its annual 3½-month summer fishing ban over the waters of the South China Sea north of the 12th parallel. The ban came into effect on Saturday and China has repeatedly said it is part of an effort to “preserve fishery resources” in the world’s richest fishing grounds.
But critics say the ban is part of China’s efforts to assert its territorial claims in the waterway, claims that are contested by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
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In the statement, Esperon, a retired Philippine Army general and the former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the Philippines opposed the bans and Philippine fishermen were “encouraged to go out and fish” in the waters.
Fishing rights are often at the centre of the disputes in the South China Sea, now a military flashpoint between the rival claimants of the vast and resource-rich waterway.
Vietnam, an outspoken claimant, rejected Beijing’s fishing ban, particularly in relation to the Gulf of Tonkin and the Paracel Islands.
Vietnamese foreign ministry deputy spokesman Doan Khac Viet said on Thursday the ban was a “unilateral decision” that had violated Vietnam’s sovereignty and international law.
