China defends Scarborough barrier as 'necessary, professional'
MANILA, Philippines — The installation of a floating barrier at Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) to prevent Filipinos from accessing the traditional fishing ground was “professional and restrained,” China’s foreign ministry said.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin claimed Monday that Scarborough Shoal, which he referred to as Huangyan Dao, “has always been China’s territory.”
“On September 22, a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines, without China’s permission, intruded into the adjacent waters of Huangyan Dao and attempted to enter its lagoon,” Wang said.
He added that the China Coast Guard “did what was necessary to block and drive away the Philippine vessel.”
Bajo de Masinloc is just 240 kilometers west of Luzon, and nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese landmass of Hainan. The 2016 arbitration ruling recognized the shoal as a fishing ground used by generations of Filipinos.
However, Beijing refused to recognize the arbitration ruling that its claims have no legal basis and continues to defy it.
The Philippine Coast Guard removed the 300-meter barrier at the southeast portion of Bajo de Masinloc following the instruction of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said that the move of Beijing violates the traditional fishing rights of Filipinos and international law.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it “will take appropriate measures to protect our country’s sovereignty and the livelihood of our fisherfolk.”
Fishermen in the area reported that the CCG typically installs a floating barrier when they monitor a large number of fishermen in the area.
China, which seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012, deploys coast guard and other vessels to patrol the fishing ground.
Tensions between Manila and Beijing escalated last month when China Coast Guard vessels used water cannons against a Philippine resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).
The Philippines also accused China of destroying coral reefs within its exclusive economic zone. — with report from Agence France-Presse
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