Image Credits- Reuters
The Philippines has lodged a complaint against China, alleging that the Chinese coast guard attempted to obstruct a Filipino government vessel delivering supplies to fishermen near a disputed reef in the South China Sea. This incident marks the second such accusation within a span of two weeks.
On February 22, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that the BRP Datu Sanday, while supplying fuel to fishermen near the Scarborough Shoal, encountered harassment from a China Coast Guard vessel and three other Chinese ships. According to the incident report, three of the Chinese vessels approached within 100 metres of the Datu Sanday’s bow, engaging in shadowing, vessel transponder jamming, and other dangerous maneuvers.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Filipino coast guard on South China Sea matters, commended the skipper of the BRP Datu Sanday for demonstrating excellent seamanship skills, enabling the vessel to evade the blocking attempts.
This incident follows a similar encounter a week earlier involving the BRP Datu Tamblot in the same area. Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012, has been a contentious point between the two nations. Beijing’s deployment of patrol boats in the area has led to allegations of harassment against Philippine vessels and obstruction of Filipino fishermen’s access to the shoal’s fish-rich lagoon.
China’s state-run Global Times, via social media, claimed that the China Coast Guard repelled the Datu Sanday for “illegally intruding into waters adjacent to China’s Huangyan Island,” using the Chinese name for the shoal.
Situated 240 kilometres west of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, Scarborough Shoal lies nearly 900 kilometres from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass. China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, which conflict with international law, have been a source of tension in the region.
Last year witnessed tense standoffs between China and the Philippines around disputed reefs, resulting in collisions and Chinese vessels resorting to water cannon to deter Philippine boats.
As diplomatic tensions persist between China and the Philippines, the latest incident underscores the ongoing challenges in managing maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
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