Chinese coast guard uses water cannon, intercepts Philippine ships near Scarborough Shoal
China intercepted four Philippine ships that tried to “enter the waters” of the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, the country’s coast guard said.
“On December 4, four vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) attempted to enter the waters off China’s Huangyan Island and accidentally came close to the regular law enforcement and inspection vessels of the Chinese Coast Guard,” its spokesman Liu Dejun said in a statement on Wednesday. in the morning, referring to the name shoal in Chinese.
“The Chinese side controls the vessels in accordance with the law,” the statement said, adding that the four vessels were numbered 9701, 4409, 3002 and 3003.
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According to the PCG statement, the PCG vessels conducted a “routine maritime patrol” under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, to support Filipino fishermen in the area, and encountered “aggressive actions” from several Chinese patrol vessels and two vessels from the port. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.
Another Chinese coast guard vessel fired two water cannons at the Philippine vessel and pushed it aside, the statement said.
The latest standoff near Scarborough Shoal comes as Beijing and Manila try to formalize territorial rights under their domestic laws. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard alt=The latest standoff near Scarborough Shoal comes as Beijing and Manila try to formalize territorial rights under their domestic laws. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard>
The PCG ships faced “blocking, shadowing and dangerous actions” from the PLA Navy 500 and CCG 503 ships, and another ship faced “negligence” from a Chinese coast guard ship at a distance of 300 meters (274 feet), he added .
In a second statement issued later on Wednesday, China’s coast guard said the vessel PCG 3003 ignored repeated warnings.
The Philippine vessel deviated, reversed and deliberately rammed the Chinese coast guard vessel 3302, creating a security risk, the statement said, adding that the Philippines committed “violations and provocations and is trying to mislead the international community”.
The latest spat in the region between the two sides comes amid recent efforts by Beijing and Manila – both of which wanted the incident – to legalize territorial rights to kill under domestic law.
