MANILA - China on Monday said it put the floating barriers in Scarborough Shoal after a Philippine vessel intruded its waters.

“On September 22, a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines, without China’s permission, intruded into the adjacent waters of Huangyan Dao and attempted to enter its lagoon,” China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

China also said Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) has always been its territory, and thus it has “indisputable sovereignty” over the island.

“China Coast Guard did what was necessary to block and drive away the Philippine vessel. The steps it took were professional and restrained,” Wang added.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Sunday said it discovered a 300-meter floating barrier at the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc Shoal during their routine maritime patrol last September 22, 2023.

On Monday, upon the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), the PCG removed the floating barrier at the southeast entrance of Bajo de Masinloc.

The fishermen at the Bajo de Masinloc reported that the China Coast Guard installs the floating barrier whenever the Filipino fishermen's boats increase near the shoal.

Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, is located 124 nautical miles west of Zambales and is within the country's 200-nautical mile EEZ.

Aside from hindering the Filipinos from fishing, PCG said that the floating barrier posed a hazard to navigation and was a clear violation of international law.

The PCG adds that it remains committed to upholding international law, safeguarding the welfare of Filipino fisherfolk, and protecting the rights of the Philippines in its territorial waters.

• PH Coast Guard removes floating barriers in Bajo de Masinloc
• Filipino fisherman chased by China coast guard in disputed waters

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