Philippines condemns Chinese 'floating barrier' stopping its fishing boats

Chinese coast guard boats near the floating barrier near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea Photo: Philippine coast guard/Reuters

The Philippines blamed the coast guard China's role in installing a «floating barrier» in the disputed South China Sea, saying it prevents Filipinos from entering the area and fishing.

The Manila Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources «strongly condemn China's installation of an approximately 1,000-foot barrier on a section of Scarborough Shoal, Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said on social media site X, formerly Twitter.

The barrier «prevents Philippine fishing boats from entering shallow waters and deprives them of their ability to fishing and fishing,» he said.

The Chinese embassy, ​​based in Manila, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Beijing has seized the shoal.

China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, intersecting with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Beijing seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and forced fishermen from the Philippines to travel further for smaller catches.

Beijing allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the uninhabited shoal after bilateral relations improved markedly under the former Philippine president. , Rodrigo Duterte. But tensions have risen again since his successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office last year.

Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries personnel discovered the floating barrier during a routine patrol on Friday near the shoal known as Baggio. de Masinloc, Commander Tarriel said.

Three Chinese Coast Guard rigid-hull inflatable boats and a Chinese maritime militia boat set up a barrier when the Philippine vessel arrived, he added.