The Philippine Coast Guard said Monday it had removed a “floating barrier” erected by Beijing to prevent Philippine fishing vessels from fishing in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
A spokesperson said in a statement that the Philippine Coast Guard complied with a presidential order to remove the barrier, placed in disputed waters near Scarborough Atoll, that posed a danger to shipping in violation of international law.
The Chinese barrier “also harms fisheries and livelihoods of Filipino fishermen in the BDM [zona marítima de Masinloc]which is an integral part of the Philippine territory,” said Jay Tarriela.
The Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday accused Chinese vessels of blocking their fishermen with a “floating barrier”, about 300 meters long, on Scarborough Atoll, located in the Philippines’ exclusive economic area.
China and the Philippines are in a dispute over the sovereignty of several islands and atolls in the South China Sea, areas mostly less than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the west coast of the Philippines, a border established by the UN to protect China’s maritime sovereignty the Philippines. the States, a treaty to which China acceded in 1996.
China occupied Scarborough Atoll in 2012 and blocked access to Chinese fishing vessels, but relaxed the ban when former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte began a rapprochement with Beijing in 2016.
That year, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s claim to the disputed islands “has no legal basis”, ruling in favor of Manila. Beijing refused to comply with that decision.
Tensions between the two countries have increased in recent months, with Duterte’s successor, current President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr., strengthening his defense alliance with the United States.
Last week, the Philippine prosecutor’s office revealed it was considering filing charges after the Philippine military reported the loss of coral in reefs where Chinese ships docked last Saturday.
The head of the Public Prosecution Service, Menardo Guevarra, told GMA news service that they are studying the case and gathering information before filing the petition, which would be the second to be presented to the Court over disputes in the South China Sea .
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a news conference that the Philippine accusations were “baseless and meaningless.”
Mao added that Manila should “as soon as possible remove the military ship that has been illegally beached and causing irreversible damage to the sea due to rust,” in Ayungin Atoll (known as Ren’ai in China), referring to a Philippine ship. stranded in a disputed area between the two countries since 1999.
Source: DN
