Philippine Coast Guard accuses Chinese vessel of trying to block scientists

MANILA: The Philippine Coast Guard yesterday accused a Chinese vessel of ‘dangerous manoeuvres’ as it attempted to block Filipino scientists from reaching a reef in the South China Sea.

The incident happened Thursday near Sandy Cay reef, several kilometres from the Philippine-held Thitu island in the contested Spratly Islands, where the two countries have repeatedly clashed in recent months.

Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels, including collisions, in the strategic waterway have strained relations between Manila and Beijing, which have a long history of maritime territorial disputes.

In the latest incident, a boat belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was taking marine scientists to the reef when a China Coast Guard vessel crossed its path, coming as close as 100 metres to the boat, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

Tarriela said the China Coast Guard vessel sounded a siren for more than 30 minutes to draw the attention of ‘Chinese maritime militia’ boats in the area.

However, the China Coast Guard said Thursday that 34 Filipinos had ‘illegally’ landed on the reef it calls Tiexian Jiao and the Philippines calls Pagasa Cay 2.

Chinese ‘law enforcement officers’ landed there, where they ‘investigated and handled (the situation)’, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement.

“That’s another lie coming from the Chinese coast guard,” Tarriela said yesterday.

Tarriela said the scientific team spent four hours at two reefs and was able to complete its mission, despite the presence of Chinese vessels and a Chinese military helicopter circling overhead.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, brushing off rival claims from countries including the Philippines and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.