MANILA (UPDATE)—China on Monday stood firm on its claim of sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal after the Philippine Coast Guard said a vessel of its Chinese counterpart closely sailed by one of its ships in the disputed waters.

The PCG earlier reported an incident of a “close distance maneuvering” by a Chinese vessel as BRP Malabrigo was patrolling the maritime area on March 2.

• Coast Guard reports ‘close distance maneuvering’ of Chinese ship in Scarborough Shoal

In a press conference, Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin repeated China's constant claim that it "has sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters, as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters."

Huangyan Dao is the Chinese moniker for Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines.

Wang also seemingly pointed the finger at the PCG for its encounter with the Chinese coast guard.

"We hope that the Philippine ships will earnestly respect China’s sovereignty and rights and interests, abide by China’s domestic law and international law, and avoid interfering with the patrol and law enforcement of the China Coast Guard in the above-mentioned waters," he said.

According to the PCG, it had to wait for the go-signal from the country's National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea before making the incident public.

It condemned the incident as a violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at SEA (Colregs) since the Chinese vessel was too close for the Filipino ship to move.

According to PCG Commandant Artemio Abu, the incident was the fourth time their vessels had a close encounter with the Chinese coast guard in Scarborough Shoal. The first three reported encounters were in May and June 2021 involving a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel and PCG ships BRP Capones and BRP Sindangan, he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier this month summoned the Chinese ambassador in Manila after a People's Liberation Army-Navy vessel entered Philippine waters without permission from January 1 to February 1, and reached Palawan's Cuyo Group of Islands, and Apo Island in Mindoro.

• DFA summons Beijing envoy over Chinese navy ship's intrusion in PH waters

Tensions between the Philippines and China also spiked last November after Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons at boats trying to deliver supplies to Filipino marines stationed in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the South China Sea.

• Australia, Japan, other countries express concern over recent Ayungin Shoal incident

Despite a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea, Beijing has aggressively encroached and conducted military activities in the disputed waters.

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