This file photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a ship from the Philippine Bureau of fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) anchored next to a sandbar near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard on March 22, 2024 accused a Chinese vessel of "dangerous manoeuvres" and sounding a siren as it attempted to block Filipino scientists reaching a reef in the South China Sea. Ted Aljibe, AFP/File 

BFAR ship

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1711093157502AFP__20240322__34LW3N4__v1__HighRes__FilesPhilippinesChinaMaritimeDiplomacy.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This file photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a ship from the Philippine Bureau of fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) anchored next to a sandbar near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard on March 22, 2024 accused a Chinese vessel of " dangerous="" and="" sounding="" a="" siren="" as="" it="" attempted="" to="" block="" Filipino="" scientists="" reaching="" reef="" in="" the="" South="" China="" Sea.="" Ted="" AFP="" File=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">This file photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a ship from the Philippine Bureau of fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) anchored next to a sandbar near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard on March 22, 2024 accused a Chinese vessel of &quot;dangerous maneuvers&quot; and sounding a siren as it attempted to block Filipino scientists reaching a reef in the South China Sea. <em>Ted Aljibe, AFP/File </em></span><em> </em></span></span></span></div><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The Philippine Coast Guard on Friday accused a Chinese vessel of &quot;dangerous maneuvers&quot; as it attempted to block Filipino scientists from reaching a reef in the South China Sea.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The incident happened Thursday near Sandy Cay reef, several kilometers from the Philippine-held Thitu island in the contested Spratly Islands, where the two countries have repeatedly clashed in recent months.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">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.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">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 meters to the boat, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Tarriela said the China Coast Guard vessel sounded a siren for more than 30 minutes to draw the attention of &quot;Chinese maritime militia&quot; boats in the area.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">However, the China Coast Guard said Thursday that 34 Filipinos had &quot;illegally&quot; landed on the reef it calls Tiexian Jiao and the Philippines calls Pagasa Cay 2.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Chinese &quot;law enforcement officers&quot; landed there, where they &quot;investigated and handled (the situation)&quot;, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">&quot;That&#x27;s another lie coming from the Chinese coast guard,&quot; Tarriela said on Friday.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/3/17/dfa-asserts-china-s-territorial-premise-over-wps-misguided-2204">DFA asserts China&#x27;s territorial premise over WPS &#x27;misguided&#x27;</a></div><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">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.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">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.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">An initial assessment of Sandy Cay and a second reef near Thitu showed that the fish and corals were in a &quot;very poor&quot; state, University of the Philippines marine biologist Jonathan Anticamara told the press conference.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Anticamara, who led the scientific mission, said his team observed &quot;unnatural&quot; and &quot;wide&quot; piles of rubble taller than a person at Sandy Cay.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">&quot;We don&#x27;t know who put it there,&quot; Anticamara said.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Some of the countries with overlapping claims to the Spratlys, including China and Vietnam, have turned reefs into artificial islands where they have built ports, airstrips and military facilities.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">China&#x27;s land reclamation has outstripped that of other claimants, according to the US-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).</p><p style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">AMTI estimates China has carried out &quot;unprecedented dredging and artificial island-building in the Spratlys&quot; since 2013, creating about 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of new land.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/3/4/marcos-jr-philippines-will-push-back-against-china-1719">Marcos Jr.: Philippines will push back against China</a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/3/19/blinken-us-stands-by-ironclad-commitments-to-defend-philippines-1432">Blinken says US stands by &#x27;ironclad&#x27; commitments to defend Philippines</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The Philippine Coast Guard on Friday accused a Chinese vessel of "dangerous maneuvers" as it attempted to block Filipino scientists from reaching a reef in the South China Sea.</p>

The Philippine Coast Guard on Friday accused a Chinese vessel of "dangerous maneuvers" as it attempted to block Filipino scientists from reaching a reef in the South China Sea.

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Philippine Coast Guard accuses Chinese vessel of trying to block scientists

Philippine Coast Guard accuses Chinese vessel of trying to block scientists

Agence France-Presse

Published Mar 22, 2024 03:43 PM PHT

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