South China Sea: Chinese coastguard ‘drove off’ Filipinos in latest run-in at disputed Scarborough Shoal
- Coastguard claims they had ‘illegally intruded’ into the waters, where China has ‘indisputable sovereignty’
- Tensions have been rising over the shoal – a prime fishing ground that Beijing took control of in 2012
In a statement released late on Tuesday, the coastguard claimed the Filipinos had “illegally intruded into” Scarborough Shoal on Sunday, without saying if the four people were on a fishing boat.
Spokesman Gan Yu said the coastguard had “issued a warning and drove them off in accordance with the law, in a professional and standard manner”.
“China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters and has always resolutely countered the infringing acts of the Philippine side,” he said, using the Chinese name for the shoal.
He said the coastguard “will, as always, safeguard and enforce its rights and interests in the waters under China’s jurisdiction, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.
China’s expansive claims over most of the South China Sea are contested by neighbouring countries, including the Philippines.