Philippines has strongly criticized China’s coast guard for the installation of what it describes as a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea. According to Philippine authorities, this barrier is preventing Filipino fishermen from entering and conducting fishing activities in the region, which has long been a point of contention in the ongoing South China Sea dispute.
The condemnation was expressed jointly by the Philippines’ coast guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, both of which decried China’s actions in the Scarborough Shoal, a part of the South China Sea with overlapping territorial claims.
Jay Tarriela, the spokesperson for the coast guard, voiced their concern on the X social media platform (formerly known as Twitter), stating, “The coast guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources strongly condemn China’s installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, which prevents Filipino fishing boats from entering the shoal and depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities.”
The installation of the barrier has raised tensions in the region, as it hampers Filipino fishermen’s access to the shoal, where they have traditionally engaged in fishing activities for their livelihood.
China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of several neighboring nations, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The Scarborough Shoal has been a particularly contentious point of dispute, with China seizing control of it in 2012, leading to Filipino fishermen having to travel further for smaller catches.
However, during the administration of then-President Rodrigo Duterte, bilateral relations improved, and Chinese authorities allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the uninhabited shoal. Tensions have escalated once again since Duterte’s successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., assumed office last year.
The discovery of the floating barrier was made during a routine patrol conducted by Philippine coast guard and fisheries bureau personnel on Friday near the shoal, known locally as Bajo de Masinloc.
According to Tarriela, three Chinese coast guard rigid-hull inflatable boats, accompanied by a Chinese maritime militia service boat, were involved in installing the barrier when the Philippine vessel arrived.
Filipino fishermen have reported that China often deploys such barriers when monitoring a large number of fishermen in the area. This latest incident further complicates the already delicate situation in the South China Sea, where territorial disputes and competing claims continue to be a source of regional tension.