2023-12-09 12:43:00
The Philippines on Saturday accused the Chinese coast guard of repeatedly firing water cannons to “impede” three government boats near the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal reef in the South China Sea.
The National Task Force for the Western Philippines accused, in a statement, “Chinese coast guard vessels of using water cannons to obstruct boats” of the Philippine government that were supplying fishing boats.
The Philippine Multi-Agency Unit said it “vehemently condemns the illegal and aggressive actions carried out by the Chinese coast guard and Chinese maritime militia.”
However, according to Chinese state television CCTV, the country’s coast guard used “control measures in accordance with law” against Philippine vessels that had “trespassed” into the waters around the reef.
Maritime disputes
In a video released by the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese Coast Guard vessels appear firing water cannons at Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels.
A Philippine boat’s communications and navigation equipment suffered “significant damage,” according to a statement from the Philippine Task Force.
Crew members also suffered “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation” after the Chinese ships used what appeared to be a “long-range acoustic device,” according to the statement.
The Philippine ships’ mission to bring fuel and food to more than 30 boats near the reef was “ongoing,” the Task Force said, accusing the Chinese coast guard of deploying inflatable boats to ” chase away the fishermen.
“Preventing the distribution of humanitarian aid is not only illegal but also inhumane,” she denounced.
BFAR aerial surveillance also showed a floating barrier reinstalled at the entrance to the reef and guarded by Chinese boats, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
Filipino fishermen reported that the Chinese coast guard installed the barrier early Saturday, the Task Force said.
China took control of Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines in 2012. It has since deployed patrol boats that Manila says harass Filipino ships and prevent Filipino fishermen from reaching the lagoon where fish are more abundant.
The reef is 240 km west of the Philippines’ main island, Luzon, and nearly 900 km from Hainan province, the nearest Chinese land.
Under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which China helped negotiate, countries have jurisdiction over natural resources within about 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) of their coasts. .
Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime disputes in the South China Sea through which billions of dollars of goods pass each year.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near its neighbors’ coasts, and has ignored an international court’s ruling in 2016 that the claim has no legal basis.
The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim several reefs and islets in this sea, some areas of which could contain rich oil reserves.
09/12/2023 11:42:44 – Manila (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
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