BEIJING: China’s coast guard said on Tuesday ( Apr 30 ) it “expelled” a Philippine coast guard ship and another vessel from waters adjacent to the Scarborough Shoal, Chinese state media reported.
The tragedy at the contested island in the South China Sea was the most recent one to happen between the two nations, the coast guard said in a statement.
In recent months, Beijing and Manila have consistently fought over the buried reef, which China claims is its own but which the Philippines claims is in its distinctive economic zone.
Both sides have even exchanged accusations about the country’s aggressive maneuvers, and the Philippines just summoned a Chinese diplomat for the incident.
China and the Philippines had recently stated they would seek better communication and management for conflicts in the great South China Sea, but conflicts have increased late, especially after the Philippines established stronger diplomatic and military ties with the US.
China claims about the whole South China Sea, a pipeline for more than US$ 3 trillion of annual deliver- borne business, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China’s statements had no constitutional basis.