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Tension in the Pacific: A Chinese Coast Guard boat comes very close to a Filipino fishing boat
Photo: AFP
There has been a new incident between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
Manila on Sunday accused the Chinese coast guard of obstructing a Philippine supply ship carrying fuel for fishing boats in the lagoon of the disputed Scarborough Reef.
The Philippine coast guard said three of a total of four Chinese ships came within a hundred meters of the Philippine supply ship "Datu Sanday" during the attempted blockade operation on Thursday.
In a report on the incident, the coast guard also complained about other “dangerous maneuvers” by China.
The Chinese state newspaper "Global Times", however, reported that the coast guard stopped the Philippine ship when it "illegally entered waters on the Chinese island of Huangyan."
Huangyan is the Chinese name for Scarborough Reef.
It was the second incident of this kind on the reef in two weeks.
In recent months, disputes over maritime areas between China and the Philippines have worsened significantly, including several collisions between ships from both countries.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea for itself.
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also claim parts of the sea area, which is strategically and economically extremely important for the neighboring states.
The International Arbitration Court in The Hague declared some of the Chinese claims unlawful in 2016.
However, Beijing does not recognize the verdict.
In 2012, China seized control of Scarborough Reef.
Since then, Beijing has sent patrol boats to the area to prevent Filipino fishing boats from entering fish-rich waters in the lagoon, according to Manila.
asc/AFP