The Philippines said on Saturday that it had suspended a scientific survey in the southern China Sea after it faced fishing vessels “harassment” and hostile behavior from the Coast Guard and the Chinese Navy.
The Philippine Coast Guard explained that the incident occurred yesterday, Friday, near Sandy Kay, an area of 3 small, uninhabited sand islands surrounded by an industrial island that is a base for Chinese forces and an island occupied by the Philippines in the archipelago.
China is calling for historical reasons, almost all small islands in the South China Sea from other countries on the banks of the sea (the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia), although a jury ruled in 2016 that its demands are not based on any legal basis.
In recent months, Beijing has published ships belonging to its marine forces and the Coast Guard to prevent the Philippines from reaching coral sidewalks and strategic islands in the sea.
The Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement that two ships belonging to the Filipino Fish’s Fisheries Office were “aggressive behavior” from 3 ships of the Chinese Coast Guard forces and 4 smaller boats, when they were on their way to collect sand samples from Sandy Kai Island near the island of Thteo, which is controlled by the Philippines.
He explained that the Chinese Coast Guard ships approached two large ships, who made a maneuver to avoid collision while a Chinese naval helicopter flew at an “unsafe height” over two smaller boats deployed by ships.
He added in a statement, “Because of the constant harassment and the contempt of the security, which was brought to the Chinese marine forces,” the Coast Guard and the Fisheries Agency were forced, “Unfortunately,” unfortunately to suspend the study, it was not possible to take samples of sand “off the coast of Theto.
There was no immediate response from Chinese officials, but China has repeatedly emphasized its sovereignty over most of the southern China Sea and accused countries that are fighting with sovereignty, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, of assault.
Theto is about 430 kilometers from the large Palawan Paluan island and more than 900 km from the nearest Chinese land block, Hinan Island. The garrison of a Chinese soldier is concentrated at the Soby Pass, near Theto.
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