Philippines accuses China vessels of harassment near Spratly Islands in SCS
By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter
CHINESE Coast Guard (CCG) vessels carried out “dangerous maneuvers” against Philippine ships deploying fishing devices at disputed features in the South China Sea (SCS) this week, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday.
Four CCG ships harassed Philippine ships, including three from Manila’s coast guard, while they were deploying fish lures at Half Moon and Royal Captain shoals in the contested Spratly Islands, PCG spokesman Jay Tristan Tarriela told a news briefing.
A CCG vessel sideswiped a PCG ship during the encounter, while other Chinese vessels tried to separate Philippine civilian fishing boats from the ship formation, he added.
“They also subjected the coast guard vessels to radio challenges,” he said in mixed English and Filipino. “They kept on saying that what we were doing was unlawful and in violation of their sovereignty.”
The shoals form part of the Spratlys, a region in the South China Sea that is being claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.
Manila claims the northeastern section of the island group, while China and Taiwan claim it entirely, according to US-based think-tank National Bureau of Asian Research.
Both Half Moon and Royal Captain shoals are about 55 nautical miles (101 kilometers) off the major Philippine island of Palawan, Mr. Tarriela said.
“This falls within our own exclusive economic zone, and the illegal patrol being conducted by the Chinese coast guard is in violation of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the 2016 arbitral award,” he said.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea via a U-shaped, 1940s nine-dash line map that overlaps with the exclusive waters of the Philippines and neighbors like Vietnam and Malaysia.
A United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 voided China’s sweeping claims for being illegal, a ruling that Beijing does not recognize.
The mineral-rich waters have become a regional flashpoint as Manila and Beijing have repeatedly clashed over disputed maritime features, fueling tensions.
Manila’s fishery bureau started dropping fish lures in the South China Sea about two years ago, Mr. Tarriela said.
He said the installation of the fishing devices at the shoals were a “success” despite Chinese interference. “[We] successfully deployed 20 fish aggregating devices.”
“Fishermen from Palawan also expressed their commitment to protect the fishing devices we deployed,” he added.
Manila’s exclusive economic zone is ecologically rich and serves as a vital source of food for Filipinos, according to a 2019 Stratbase ADR Institute report.
The waters account for about a third of the country’s fish production, according to the US-based China-Global South Project.
