China’s coast guard said it was investigating Philippine patrol boats and fishing boats that had gathered around the disputed Sabina Shoal, citing the rights of China’s indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
The Chinese coast guard has been monitoring the vessels since Saturday, spokesman Gan Yu said in a statement issued late yesterday. Gan said that the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) patrol boat and several fishing boats gathered in the waters near the Philippine boat that China is legally claiming It is illegal to land on the shoal and that violates China’s territorial rights and interests in the waters in the area. .
In response, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said China has no reason to complain about its ships because the Sabina Bank is inside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). PCG Spokesperson Jay Tarriela also said that the Chinese vessel allegedly illegally stopped, BRP Teresa Magbanua, was deliberately brought there to protect our EEZ and that the question ‘will Stay there for a long time and don’t spread them.
Yesterday, the PCG said it had dispatched a fleet of tankers from Teresa Magbanua to support the fishing industry in distributing Filipino marine oil to the bank. China calls Sabina Shoal Xianbin Reef, while the Philippines calls it Escoda Shoal.
It is an atoll located 150 km from the island of Palawan, west of the Philippines. PCG accuses China of building artificial islands on shoals.
China says the allegations are baseless. Beijing and Manila have been locked in a year-long war over competition in the South China Sea, where $3 trillion in trade passes annually.
Manila signed a memorandum of understanding with China on maritime projects in the South China Sea last month to ease tensions and manage tensions. Details of the deal have not been made public.
China claims almost all of this important waterway, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s claims had no basis in international law.
