China’s floating barrier blocks Filipino fishermen from Scarborough Shoal

• The Philippines accuses China of blocking its fishermen.
• China’s claims in the South China Sea overlap with neighboring nations’ economic zones.
• The 300-meter barrier was found during a Filipino patrol.

The Philippines claimed on Sunday that a “floating barrier” set up by China’s coast guard in a disputed region of the South China Sea barred Filipinos from entering and fishing there.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Coast Guard of Manila “strongly condemn” China’s construction of the barrier in some of the Scarborough Shoal. A Coast Guard spokeswoman, Commodore Jay Tarriela, published on the X social media network, formerly known as Twitter.

According to him, the obstruction preventing fishermen from reaching the shoal was robbing them of their ability to fish and support themselves.

“The (Philippine Coast Guard) will continue to work closely with all concerned government agencies to address these challenges, uphold our maritime rights and protect our maritime domains,” Tarriela said.

90% of the South China Sea is claimed by China, and it overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In 2012, Beijing took control of the Scarborough Shoal, forcing Filipino fishermen to travel further for fewer catches.

When the two countries’ relations were noticeably bettering under the leadership of then-President Rodrigo Duterte, Beijing permitted Filipino fishermen to return to the desolate shoal. But when Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took over as president last year, tensions rose once more.

The floating barrier, which is thought to be 300 meters (1,000 feet) long, was found by Philippine coast guard and Fisheries Bureau officers on a regular patrol on Friday near the shoal, known locally as Bajo de Masinloc, Tarriela said.

When the Philippine ship arrived, the barrier had already been set up by three rigid-hull inflatable boats from the Chinese coast guard and a service boat from the Chinese maritime militia.

When China is observing a significant number of fishermen in the area, according to Filipino fishermen, China routinely installs such barriers, Tarriela said.

Prior to leaving “upon realizing the presence of media personnel onboard the (Filipino) vessel,” he claimed, the Chinese boats fired 15 radio challenges and accused the Philippine ship and its fishermen of breaking both international and Chinese rules.

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