Analyst Heydarian's take on China's harassment of Greek ship near Scarborough

China's increasing aggressiveness in the South China Sea, manifested in the recent harassment it allegedly committed against a Pinoy-crewed Greek ship, should not be taken lightly, GMA resident analyst Richard Heydarian said on Monday.

This is because it may eventually compromise freedom of navigation in the disputed waters, he said in an interview on GMA News' Unang Balita.

Earlier, the Greek-owned oil tankers' captain Manolo Ebora told GMA News the Chinese crew asked him to change his route and avoid passing through Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal). That time, September 30, the Liberia-flagged oil tanker Green Aura was en route to Longkou, China, and had been at sea for four days.

Heydarian pointed out that the Chinese vessel even introduced itself as a "naval warship" when the foreign oil tanker passing through Scarborough Shoal was obviously entitled to the right of innocent passage.

"Nagiging mas agresibo ang China at ginagamit pa 'yung kanilang warship to even harass 'yung mga civilian international merchant ship, hindi lang mangingisda, hindi lang Filipino warship," he said.

Watch the video to learn more of Heydarian's take on the issue and how this could shape the draft of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. —Dona Magsino/KG, GMA News