25-2-2024 (MANILA) The Philippines lodged a complaint on Sunday, accusing the Chinese coast guard of attempting to obstruct a Filipino government vessel delivering supplies to fishermen. This marks the second such alleged incident in two weeks near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
The BRP Datu Sanday, tasked with supplying fuel to fishermen in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, faced harassment from a China Coast Guard vessel and three other Chinese ships on Feb 22, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. An incident report detailed that three of the four Chinese vessels came within 100 meters of Datu Sanday’s bow, engaging in dangerous maneuvers, shadowing, and vessel transponder jamming.
Despite these challenges, the skipper of BRP Datu Sanday demonstrated exceptional seamanship skills and successfully evaded the blocking attempts, stated Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Filipino coast guard spokesman on South China Sea issues.
A similar encounter occurred a week earlier when the Philippine Coast Guard reported a Chinese vessel harassing the BRP Datu Tamblot in the same area.
Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, has been a longstanding point of contention since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Beijing’s deployment of patrol boats in the region has led to allegations of harassment against Philippine vessels and the prevention of Filipino fishermen from accessing the fish-rich lagoon.
China’s state-run Global Times defended the actions, stating that the China Coast Guard repelled the Datu Sanday when it “illegally intruded into waters adjacent to China’s Huangyan Island,” using the Chinese name for the shoal.
Scarborough Shoal is situated 240km west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and nearly 900km from the nearest major Chinese landmass of Hainan. China’s claims over the South China Sea, rejecting an international tribunal ruling, have resulted in tense standoffs with neighboring countries.
Last year witnessed confrontations between China and the Philippines around disputed reefs, leading to collisions and Chinese ships using water cannons against Philippine boats.
