Shoal is ours - China

MANILA, Philippines - China cried harassment by the Philippines yesterday and said Scarborough Shoal is an integral part of Chinese territory.

“We urge the Philippine side to proceed from the overall situation of the China-Philippines relations and the peace and stability of the South China Sea, not to instigate new troubles and incidents, and make joint efforts with the Chinese side to create favorable conditions for the sound development of relations between the two countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a statement yesterday.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said that the incident is an "issue of concern" in China and has lodged representations with Manila over the alleged harassment of Chinese fishing boats and fishermen by the Philippine Navy vessels and patrol boats.

Beijing has accused a Philippine Navy ship of illegally entering Chinese waters and ordered it to immediately leave the area that is an integral part of the Philippine territory according to international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"The attempt by the Philippines to carry out so-called law enforcement activities in the waters of Huangyan Island has infringed upon China's sovereignty, and runs counter to the consensus reached by both sides on maintaining the peace and stability in the South China Sea and not to complicate and escalate the situation," Liu noted.

The shoal is some 124 nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales province and is within the Philippines' 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf.

Liu added that relevant departments of the Chinese government have sent out public service ships to the shoal.

"At the moment, the Chinese fishermen and their boats are safe," he said.