Philippines condemns China’s use of  ‘floating barrier’ in South China Sea

THE PHILIPPINES on Sunday accused China’s coast guard of installing a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.

Manila’s coast guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources  (BFAR)“strongly condemn” China’s installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesman, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.

The barrier blocking fishermen from the shoal was depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities, he said.

“The (Philippine Coast Guard) will continue to work closely with all concerned government agencies to address these challenges, uphold our maritime rights and protect our maritime domains,” Mr. Tarriela said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. It seized the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and forced fishermen from the Philippines to travel further for smaller catches.

China allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the uninhabited shoal when bilateral relations were improving markedly under then President Rodrigo R. Duterte. But tension has mounted again since his successor Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. took office last year.

Philippine Coast Guard and fishery bureau personnel discovered the floating barrier, estimated at 300 meters (1,000 feet) long, on a routine patrol on Sept. 22 near the shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc, Mr. Tarriela said.

Three Chinese coast guard rigid-hull inflatable boats and a Chinese maritime militia service boat installed the barrier when the Philippine vessel arrived, he said.

Filipino fishermen say China typically installs such barriers when they monitor many fishermen in the area, Mr. Tarriela said.

The Chinese boats issued 15 radio challenges and accused the Philippine ship and fishermen of violating international and China’s laws, before moving away “upon realizing the presence of media personnel onboard the (Filipino) vessel,” he added.

The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources saw more than 50 Filipino fishing boats in the area during the patrol.    

“The BFAR vessel responded to each and every radio call and emphasized that they were carrying out a routine patrol within the territorial sea of Bajo de Masinloc,” the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri in a statement said China has “no right to put any structures within our exclusive economic zone.”

“These structures pose a danger to passing fishing boats that can get entangled on the lines and cause considerable damage to the propellers and engines of our fisherfolk,” he said, asking the PCG to “immediately cut and remove all these illegal structures.”

‘HYPOCRITICAL’
Tensions between the two countries have worsened after China’s coast guard fired water cannons at Philippine vessels on a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal on Aug. 5. The Philippines has also accused Chinese militia vessels of harvesting corals at Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal, which are both within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a news briefing on Sept. 21 denied Chinese involvement in the coral harvesting activities and accused the Philippines of “creating a political drama from fiction.”

Ms. Mao said it is BRP Sierra Madre, which the Philippine military intentionally grounded at Second Thomas Shoal in 1999, that is causing “irrevocable harm” to the marine environment.

Philippine defense Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro, Jr. on Sunday called Ms. Ning’s statement “hypocritical.”

“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black,” he said in a statement. “China continues to damage the West Philippine Sea by its illegal reclamation activities in the South China Sea, and it was found to be a violator of international law in the 2016 arbitral award when such activities damaged the marine environment.”

“Disingenuous propaganda lines such as this only serve to expose China’s insincerity and will only heighten the mistrust of the Filipino people and the rest of the world of the Chinese government.”

BRP Sierra Madre, which was donated by the US to the Philippine government in 1997, has been crucial in preserving the status quo in the South China Sea, with China fearing an activation of the 1950s mutual defense treaty between Manila and Washington should it attack the vessel, according to political analysts.

China earlier said the Philippine government had pledged to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Second Thomas Shoal, which is about 200 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan Island.

Mr. Marcos had said he was not aware of any such arrangement or agreement.” If such an agreement happened, “I rescind that agreement now.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza with Reuters