Camille Naredo

Fisherfolk on small bancas join volunteers from the Atin Ito Coalition and members of the media as they prepare to depart from Matalbis Port in Masinloc, Zambales, for the second civilian resupply mission to the West Philippine Sea on May 15, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File


The presence of the China Coast Guard (CCG) persists despite the effort of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to block them and assist the four main vessels of the second civilian resupply mission of the Atin Ito Coalition to the Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on May 15, 2024. Fisherfolk on small bancas join volunteers from the Atin Ito Coalition and members of the media as they prepare to depart from Matalbis Port in Masinloc, Zambales, for the second civilian resupply mission to the West Philippine Sea on May 15, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

West Philippine Sea

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178621765061420240515-atin-ito-wps-MT-34.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Fisherfolk on small bancas join volunteers from the Atin Ito Coalition and members of the media as they prepare to depart from Matalbis Port in Masinloc, Zambales, for the second civilian resupply mission to the West Philippine Sea on May 15, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Fisherfolk on small bancas join volunteers from the Atin Ito Coalition and members of the media as they prepare to depart from Matalbis Port in Masinloc, Zambales, for the second civilian resupply mission to the West Philippine Sea on May 15, 2024. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>WASHINGTON — The United States on Saturday accused China of &quot;destabilizing&quot; activity near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, saying it is using &quot;dubious&quot; environmental explanations to advance its territorial claims.</p><p>Scarborough Shoal — which the Philippines calls Bajo de Masinloc — is a fish-rich reef formation 240 kilometers (124 miles) from the main Philippine island of Luzon and hundreds of kilometers away from mainland China. Both Beijing and Manila claim the flashpoint coral atoll.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/4/afp-confirms-china-s-drills-near-bajo-de-masinloc-1324">READ: AFP confirms China&#x27;s drills near Bajo de Masinloc</a></div><p>&quot;The United States rejects China&#x27;s ongoing attempts to enforce its destabilizing &#x27;national nature reserve&#x27; at Scarborough Reef and deny Filipino fishermen access to their traditional fishing ground,&quot; State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.</p><p>&quot;This is yet another unilateral attempt by China to use dubious environmental and legal pretexts, backed by coercion, to advance its sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors,&quot; Pigott said in a statement.</p><p>China recently published new rules on the management of the nature reserve it unilaterally created last year around the shoal, which is controlled by Beijing.</p><p>Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including the flashpoint shoal, despite an international ruling that its assertion lacks any legal basis.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/3/teodoro-urges-asean-to-back-ph-s-2016-arbitral-award-1520">READ: Teodoro urges ASEAN to back PH’s 2016 Arbitral Award</a></div><p>China and the Philippines regularly clash over disputed territories. The most recent incidents took place last month.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATCH:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AprKwNLPI6M?&amp;t=37s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The United States on Saturday accused China of "destabilizing" activity near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, saying it is using "dubious" environmental explanations to advance its territorial claims.</p>

The United States on Saturday accused China of "destabilizing" activity near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, saying it is using "dubious" environmental explanations to advance its territorial claims.

US slams Chinese actions in South China Sea

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US slams Chinese actions in South China Sea

Agence France-Presse

Published August 09, 2026 03:35 AM PHT

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Washington

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South China Sea

Scarborough Shoal

maritime dispute

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