China Confronts US Ally’s Fishermen in Disputed Waters

Videos have surfaced allegedly showing the Chinese coast guard chasing Philippine fishermen from traditional fishing grounds within Manila’s own exclusive economic zone (EEZ) grounds earlier this month.

A Chinese coast guard patrol is said to have forced the fishermen to return their catch to the sea before shooing them away from resource-rich Scarborough Shoal, a feature of the Spratly Islands, that the Philippines calls Bajo de Masinloc and China Huangyan Island.

Scarborough Shoal is one of the most bitterly contested features in the South China Sea, where China’s expansive claims overlap with those of the Philippines and five other countries. Beijing gained de facto control over the uninhabited atoll, which lies nearly 600 miles from the nearest Chinese province after swarming the area with maritime militia boats backed up by its coast guard in 2012.

An international arbitral tribunal in the Hague in 2016 ruled in Manila’s favor, citing the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea as the basis for dismissing Beijing’s claim over most of the South China Sea. China says the decision is void and claims unspecified historical rights to the region.

Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said on social media that the agency had confirmed the authenticity of the videos recorded on January 12 and “taken steps to gather sworn statements from the individuals involved.”

The initial video was shot from the boat of a fisherman named Jack Tabat.

Tarriela cited Tabat as saying the fishermen were near the southern entrance of the shoal when they “experienced harassment” from a boatload of five Chinese coast guard personnel.

Four of them disembarked, took control of the fishing boat, and kept it from leaving until the fishermen threw their catch back into the sea, he added.

Another video, allegedly filmed hours before the encounter by the captain of the Philippine boat in question, shows the crew collecting an assortment of marine creatures on the atoll.

Tariella pointed out that according to the 2016 international arbitral tribunal award, “this area is a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines, Vietnam, and China.”

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Margareth Padilla told CNN Philippines Tuesday that the country would be stepping up the frequency of its maritime patrols around Scarborough Shoal.

“For the Philippine Navy, we can allocate more resources for our external defense since our international security operations have dwindled. We’ll have more assets of our navy circling around the area,” Padilla said.

She added that one of the military’s responsibilities is to ensure Philippine nationals can “enjoy the aquatic resources in areas considered as traditional fishing grounds.”

In late September Manila said underwater surveys had found continuous “swarming” by Chinese maritime militia vessels likely caused extensive damage to the ecosystems of nearby Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal. The waters around these features “appeared lifeless,” according to the nation’s coast guard.

Chinese fishing boats too have drawn ire over their impact on the environment.

China’s distant water fishing fleet, the world’s largest—is “one of the worst offenders” regarding illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, U.S. Coast Guard commandant Admiral Linda Fagan said last year. She said smaller countries that lack the resources to police their EEZs effectively are particularly vulnerable.

The increasingly dramatic maritime confrontations between Beijing and Manila, often centered on Philippine-held Second Thomas Shoal and to a lesser extent the Scarborough Shoal, have involved risky maneuvers, collisions, and water cannons, drawing international concern.

U.S. officials have repeatedly stated the country’s decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines extends to attacks anywhere, including the South China Sea.

Last week, Philippine and Chinese officials met to discuss ways to deescalate tensions. Tarriela, the coast guard spokesperson, said he had “high hopes” but “moderate expectations” for the dialogue.