Global Courant
Faced with China’s determination to exert control over a vast area of the South China Sea far from the mainland, the Philippine Coast Guard said Monday it had taken matters into its own hands and knocked down a Chinese barrier blocking Philippine fishing boats had kept at a distance. .
The Coast Guard released video of a diver cutting the ropes holding the barriers in place at the Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by both the Philippines and China. Then one could see how the maritime obstacles were lifted out of the water.
“The barrier posed a danger to shipping, a clear violation of international law,” the Philippines said a statement. “It also hinders the fishing and livelihood activities of Filipino fishermen.”
With tensions already rising in the South China Sea, it was unclear how Beijing would respond. But China has made clear its intention to militarize the waters through which a third of global ocean trade passes.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the shoal and adjacent waters are “China’s inherent territory” over which Beijing has “indisputable sovereignty,” The Associated Press reported.
The Philippine Coast Guard said Monday it had acted on the instructions of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., elected last year.
The Philippines is not the only country in the region in conflict with China over fishing rights and territorial claims. Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have also had conflicts.
The United States itself has no direct territorial claims, but has made clear its own interests, including freedom of navigation. On Monday, President Biden hosted the leaders of 18 Pacific island nations at the White House, a sign of the growing regional battle for influence between Washington and Beijing.
The waters of the South China Sea have long been dominated by the US fleet, but as the Chinese military flexes its muscles there and its navy and coast guard grow in strength, concerns have grown over the possibility of a superpower confrontation there.
More than 1,500 kilometers from their mainland, the Chinese have already established a military base on Mischief Reef, off the coast of the Philippine island of Palawan, complete with radar domes and a runway that can handle fighter jets.
An international tribunal has ruled that the area does not belong to China, but with the presence of armed Chinese ships, Filipinos who have fished in the waters for generations have been forced to retreat.
