China warns the Philippines, vows to uphold its sovereignty

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Global Times
26 Sep 2023 15:52
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The Philippines says it was well within its rights to remove the barrier, which it alleges has been deployed by China to block Filipino fishermen from reaching the shoal.

An undated photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard showing a diver cutting rope tied to a floating barrier in the Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea (AP)

China has warned the Philippines not to "stir up trouble" after the latter's coast guard removed a floating barrier in the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin criticized the Philippines' actions, saying Beijing "firmly upholds the sovereignty and maritime rights and interests of the Huangyan island," referring to the shoal by its Chinese name.

"We advise the Philippines not to provoke or stir up trouble," the official added.

Philippine National Security Advisor Eduardo Ano claimed that the country was well within its rights to remove the barrier.

Manila alleges that the reef is a traditional fishing ground for fisherfolk and that the floating barrier was deployed by Beijing to block them from reaching it.

Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea has been a cause of tension between the two nations. China had captured the ring of reefs from the Philippines back in 2012 and has deployed patrol boats to guard it.

The latest development comes after a 300-meter floating barrier was placed across the entrance of the shoal last week and was subsequently discovered by Manila during a routine government resupply mission to Philippine fisherfolk working in waters nearby.

Manila condemned the installation of the barrier, and its coast guard said, on Monday, that it had removed it in a special operation ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos.

Washington pushes Manila to confrontation

China says the island, among others in the South China Sea, falls under its direct jurisdiction. It has also refuted the Philippines' assertion that a barrier was erected to deny entry to Philippine fisherfolk, according to the Global Times.

Instead, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said its coast guard had taken all the necessary steps to block a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines, which had attempted to enter the shoal without China's permission on September 22.

Li Hongyun, an expert at the Law School of Peking University, told China Daily that the island has been consistently under the administration of China's Guangdong province first and Hainan province later.

Li also explained that China had named the island Huangyan in 1935, and it has been printed on Chinese official maps ever since. This, among other historical incidents, supports China's claim over the Island.

The Global Times said the renewed frictions between the two countries are "obviously driven by US instigation."

The Chinese newspaper says the US is seeking a larger military presence in the South China Sea, indicating that it is pushing the Philippines to spur up feuds with China, providing a pretext for US military expansion in the area.

Earlier on September 14, Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, had revealed that he is in talks with Filipino officials to expand US military sites in the Philippines.

"General Brawner and I may make recommendations to our senior leaders for the consideration of additional sites but there is still work to do there before we get to that answer," Admiral Aquilino said, referring to the chief of the Philippine Armed Forces Romeo Brawner.

So far, the US has access to nine outposts in the Phillippines, seven of which are located on Luzon Island and Palawan Island.