Several Chinese coast guard vessels have been accused of making ‘aggressive maneuvers’ towards Philippine fishing boats.
The Philippines says it has suspended a scientific survey in the South China Sea after its fishing vessels faced “dangerous harassment” and aggressive behavior by China’s coast guard and navy.
The Philippine Coast Guard said on Saturday that three Chinese coast guard vessels and four small boats made “aggressive maneuvers” towards two Philippine Bureau of Fisheries boats that took sand samples from Sandy Cay near Philippine-held Thito Island on Friday. She was going to take it. .
It said a Chinese navy helicopter was also hovering at an “unsafe height” above the ships.
The two countries have been engaged in a long series of escalating clashes in the disputed waters of the South China Sea for years. China claims almost all of the strategic waterways, through which trade of $3 trillion is conducted annually, surpassing the claims of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The claim has been dismissed as groundless by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague, a decision Beijing does not recognize.
The Philippine Coast Guard said that “as a result of this continued harassment and disregard for safety by the Chinese Navy”, the survey operations were suspended.
The Coast Guard added that despite the “dangerous collision”, there were no accidents.
In its statement, the China Coast Guard said China has “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands, including Sandy’s – which China calls the Tiexian Reef – and that it intercepted two Philippine ships and drove them away in accordance with the law. gave
The China Coast Guard said Philippine vessels entered the waters near Tiexian Reef without permission and attempted to land “illegally” on the reef to take sand samples.
Thito is located approximately 430 km (267 mi) from the main Philippine island of Palawan and 900 km (560 mi) from the nearest major island of China, Hainan.
Chinese forces have cordoned off Sabi Reef near Thito.
Also on Friday, Philippine forces resupplied and rotated without incident soldiers operating an abandoned navy ship grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys, the State Department said.
Manila deliberately ran the ship, the Sierra Madre, on the reef to assert its claim to the territory.
The Philippine government this month raised the alarm over Chinese coast guard ships patrolling near the Philippine island of Luzon, calling it an “intimidation tactic” by Beijing to discourage Philippine fishing.
China rejected the accusation, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying the patrols were “in accordance with the law”.
Manila and Beijing agreed to find common ground and find ways to cooperate despite their differences in the South China Sea during a round of talks on January 16.
