Chinese, Philippine maritime officials trade warnings at Scarborough Shoal

Maritime officials of China and the Philippines exchanged warnings over the entry of local fishermen in the southeast portion of the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, where Beijing has installed a floating barrier.

During an operation of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the China Coast Guard was recorded to have attempted to block the entry of the BRP Datu Bankaw in Bajo de Masinloc.

The vessel was only 30 kilometers away from the area when the China Coast Guard (CCG) issued a warning, claiming the entry was against China’s rights.

“Your activity is seriously in breach of all the maritime rights of China. You must stop your activity and leave this sea area immediately,” the CCG said through radio communication, as reported by Raffy Tima on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

In response, the BFAR maintained that the area is part of Philippine territory, which has already been ruled by an international tribunal in 2016, invalidating Beijing’s massive South China Sea claims.

“You do not interfere with our activities here inside the Philippine waters. You are inside the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of the Philippines,” the BFAR said.

China has refused the international ruling on the area, with over 50 of its vessels spotted in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the area, as reported by the Western Command in July.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday said the CCG also installed a floating barrier in the southern portion of the Bajo de Masinloc, preventing Filipino fishermen from entering the area.

The PCG estimated the floating barrier to have a 300-meter length. It was also found to be anchored by metal chains.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. last November said he told Chinese officials to uphold international law, and follow the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea regarding areas of the South China Sea.

Marcos in January said China will not stop Filipino fishermen from fishing despite tensions in the West Philippine Sea, citing an agreement between Manila and Beijing.

In March, however, China maintained that it has sovereign rights over Scarborough Shoal, following reports of the Philippine Coast Guard of a  "close distance maneuvering" incident involving a Chinese vessel in the area. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News