Manila: China and the Philippines traded accusations on Tuesday over another maritime standoff near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, further escalating long-standing tensions in the region.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese coast guard ship on Monday accelerated and deliberately obstructed the path of a Philippine vessel approximately 36 nautical miles from the shoal. The Philippines criticized the maneuver, calling it a violation of international maritime rules and a clear threat to navigational safety.
"This behavior from the China Coast Guard shows disregard for maritime safety and international regulations," said the Philippine Coast Guard in a statement.
Meanwhile, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua reported that the Philippine vessel was the one at fault, claiming it approached dangerously and attempted to fabricate a collision scenario.
"The Philippine ship intruded illegally and approached in a hazardous manner, jeopardizing the safety of our personnel and ships," Xinhua quoted Chinese authorities as saying.
The Scarborough Shoal remains a flashpoint in the broader South China Sea dispute, where sovereignty claims overlap among several countries, including Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. China continues to assert control over nearly the entire waterway, which is crucial to global trade, with more than $3 trillion in goods passing through annually.
In a separate incident, the Philippine Coast Guard reported spotting a Chinese research vessel, Zhong Shan Da Xue, operating without permission in its northern waters near Taiwan. A Philippine surveillance plane attempted to contact the vessel 78 nautical miles off Batanes province but received no response.
The coast guard emphasized that the vessel lacked official clearance to conduct marine scientific research within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
"PCG aviators issued a radio warning, stressing that the Chinese ship had no authority to conduct such activities in the area," the statement said.
These incidents are the latest in a string of confrontations that underscore rising maritime tensions between China and the Philippines.
