BEIJING/MANILA, April 30—The Philippines has accused China's Coast Guard of harassing and damaging one of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, and rejected Beijing's position that it had expelled two vessels from the hotly contested shoal.
The Philippine Coast Guard said its two vessels stood their ground at the Scarborough Shoal, a key battleground in the South China Sea, but one sustained damage from use of water cannon by two Chinese coast guard ships.
"This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels.
"They (the Philippine Coast Guard) were not deterred and will persist in carrying out their legitimate operations to support Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety," Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement today.
No country has sovereignty over the strategically located Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch used by several countries that is close to major shipping lanes. The shoal falls inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
China has occupied the atoll for more than a decade, and waters around its lagoon, which has long been a sanctuary for vessels during storms, have been the site of multiple confrontations in recent years.
China's Coast Guard said the vessels had been expelled but did not provide details of the incident.
Tarriela said its vessel, the BRP Bagacay, suffered damage to its railing and canopy and China has installed a floating barrier at the shoal's entrance, 'effectively restricting access to the area'.
The two countries have traded accusations of illegal conduct at the shoal, and the Philippines recently summoned a Chinese diplomat to explain what it calls aggressive manoeuvres. China typically accuses the Philippines of encroaching on its territory.
China and the Philippines previously said they would seek better communications and management around skirmishes in the vast South China Sea, but tensions have increased recently as the Philippines forges stronger diplomatic and military ties with its ally the United States.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion (RM14.25 trillion) of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said China's expansive claim had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.
— Reuters
