MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Thursday, May 2, demanded that Chinese ships leave Panatag Shoal and its vicinity “immediately,” two days after China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels used high-pressure water cannons against two Philippine government vessels.
The Philippines made the demand when the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summoned Chinese embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong over the April 30 incident.
The DFA, in particular, protested the “harassment, ramming, swarming, shadowing and blocking, dangerous maneuvers, use of water cannons, and other aggressive actions” of the CCG against the vessels and crew of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
“China’s aggressive actions, particularly its water cannon use, caused damage to vessels of PCG and BFAR,” added the DFA.
The Philippines has lodged 153 diplomatic protests under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., 20 of those in 2024 alone.
The two vessels were on a mission to bring fuel, food, and water to Filipino fisherfolk in and around Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. Although damage was reported on the two vessels, the two continued on with their mission late April 30 and May 1.
Panatag Shoal, also known as Scarborough Shoal, is a high-tide elevation located just over 120 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea or parts that are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
While its sovereignty is contested, it is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. The 2016 Arbitral Award also deemed the area the traditional fishing grounds of Filipino, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and Chinese fisherfolk. Ideally, no claimant state should stop small-scale fisherfolk from fishing in the shoal’s safe and bountiful waters.
China rejects the 2016 Arbitral Award, which also deemed Beijing’s claim of a huge part of the South China Sea invalid.
China has maintained a constant presence in the shoal since 2012. There are at least two CCG ships inside the lagoon at all times, and at least two more patrolling its immediate vicinity.
During the April 30 mission, four CCG ships and four Chinese Maritime Militia vessels worked together to stop both the BRP Bagacay and BRP Datu Bankaw from reaching the immediate vicinity of the shoal.
The Philippine mission was not able to enter the lagoon, since China has placed a floating barrier to close its opening. The vessels, however, were able to get as close as a couple of hundreds of yards away, according to the PCG.
The Philippines has said that it would be undeterred despite China’s most recent actions, and that humanitarian missions to Panatag will continue as needed. – Rappler.com