Philippines removes Chinese barrier at contested South China Sea shoal
- Manila earlier said action would be taken ‘to protect the rights of our fishermen in the area’
- Beijing had defended the cordon, saying ‘necessary measures’ were taken after boat ‘intruded’
“The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law. It also hinders the conduct of fishing and livelihood activities of Filipino fisherfolk,” the coastguard said, calling the shoal “an integral part of the Philippine national territory”.
02:26
Philippines condemns ‘floating barrier’ set up by Chinese fishermen in Scarborough Shoal
Philippine national security adviser Eduardo Ano had earlier on Monday said action would be taken to get rid of the 300-metre (980-foot) barrier “to protect the rights of our fishermen in the area”.
Beijing had defended its move, accusing the Philippines of worsening tensions by deploying a government boat that it said “intruded” into waters off the shoal “without permission” and tried to enter the lagoon on Friday.
“The China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law and exercised professional restraint in blocking and driving [the Philippine vessel] away,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing.
Hu Bo, director of Beijing-based think tank the SCS Strategic Situation Probing Initiative and the Centre for Maritime Strategy Studies at Peking University, said the barrier might have been a “temporary measure” to stop Filipinos from fishing in the area.