The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) issued a statement Friday (September 29) vowing that they would do "whatever it takes" to remove more floating barriers installed by China, sparking a brand new diplomatic issue between Manila and Beijing.
The statement was made after Filipino officials confirmed the presence of a 300-meter barrier which has since been removed after authorization from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier this week.
According to Al Jazeera, the floating barrier was found across the entrance of Scarborough Shoal, which is within the Philippines's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), while PCG personnel were conducting a resupply mission to Filipino fisherfolk.
"In the next coming months, if ever that barrier will once again be in place, the Philippine Coast Guard will do whatever it takes for us to remove the barrier," PCG spokesperson Comm. Jay Tarriela told reporters aboard the ship that conducted the special operation.
Marcos: Our Fisherfolk Just Want to Make a Catch
Marcos provided remarks on the incident Friday, saying his government was "not looking for trouble."
"[We will] continue to defend the Philippines, the maritime territory of the Philippines, the rights of our fishermen to ply their trade in the areas where they have been fishing for hundreds of years," he added.
Marcos also said Filipino fishing boats caught about 164 tons of fish daily in the shoal, which the barrier was preventing fisherfolk from doing so.
Meanwhile, officials in Beijing have warned the Philippines to not "stir up trouble" over the incident. The Chinese Coast Guard earlier said it deployed the line of buoys to after the Philippine vessel's "intrusion" into the Scarborough lagoon.
Pentagon Officials Call Philippine Operation a 'Bold Step'
Officials from the Pentagon also monitored the incident and said Thursday (September 28) that the US praised the action of Filipino authorities in removing the floating barrier as a "bold step."
"The department has been incredibly clear that when it comes to our treaty commitments to the Philippines, we believe an armed attack against the Philippine Armed Forces, public vessels, and aircraft, apply to the South China Sea. That includes the Philippine Coast Guard," US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford told a congressional hearing.
