Philippines suspends exploration in disputed sea amid Chinese ‘harassment’ | South China Sea News
Several Chinese Coast Guard ships accused of ‘aggressive maneuvers’ towards Philippine fishing boats.
The Philippines says it has suspended scientific research in the South China Sea after its fishing boats 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 smaller ships made “aggressive maneuvers” toward two Philippine Bureau of Fisheries dinghies that were on their way to collect sand samples from nearby Sandy Cay Thitu Island under the occupation of the Philippines on Friday.
A Chinese navy helicopter was also hovering at an “unsafe height” above the aircraft, it said.
The two countries have been engaged in a long-running series of escalating conflicts in the disputed waters of the South China Sea for years. China claims nearly all of the strategic waterways, which carry $3 trillion worth of trade annually, overlapping claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
That claim was declared unfounded by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague, a decision Beijing does not recognize.
“As a result of this continued harassment and disregard for safety displayed by Chinese naval forces,” survey operations have been suspended, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
Despite “dangerous clashes”, no accidents occurred, the coast guard added.
In its own statement, China’s coast guard said China has “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands, including Sandy Cay – which China calls Tiexian Reef – and that it had intercepted the two Philippine vessels and driven them away in accordance with the law.
China’s coast guard said Philippine ships entered the waters near Tiexian Reef without permission and attempted to “illegally” land on the reef to collect sand samples.
Thitu lies about 430 km (267 miles) from the largest Philippine island of Palawan and more than 900 km (560 miles) from the nearest major mainland of China, Hainan Island.
Chinese forces garrisoned Subi Ridge near Thit.
Also on Friday, Philippine forces replenished and replaced troops without incident manning an abandoned navy ship grounded on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys, the foreign ministry said.
Manila deliberately grounded the ship, Sierra Madreon the reef to assert his claim to the area.
The Philippine government raised the alarm this month about Chinese coast guard ships patrolling closer to the main Philippine island of Luzon, calling it a “scare tactic” by Beijing to discourage Philippine fishing.
China has denied the accusations, and a foreign ministry spokesman said the patrols were “in accordance with the law”.
Manila and Beijing agreed during a round of talks on January 16 to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite their differences in the South China Sea.
