In the South China Sea, a tense incident occurred as two Philippine government vessels carrying scientists encountered resistance from Chinese coast guard ships, backed by a military helicopter. Philippine officials announced the unsuccessful attempt to halt the vessels on Friday.
Regardless of the Chinese coast guard personnel's half-hour-long horn blast and repeated radio warnings during the confrontation on Thursday, the Filipino scientists successfully finished their four-hour marine and biodiversity research at the desolate sandbars known as Sandy Cay, according to the officials.
China Denies 'Illegal Activities'
In response to accusations of engaging in "illegal activities," Chinese coast guard spokeswoman Gan Yu said in a statement that Beijing's law enforcement agents were dropping onto the sandbars, which are referred to locally as Tiexian Reef.
The explanation given by Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela, who dismissed the Chinese claim as just another production, was at odds with Gan Yu's claim. In a press conference on Friday, Tarriela confirmed that the Filipino scientific team was able to work without interruption for four hours, even with Chinese warships and a military aircraft hovering overhead.
Regional tensions have been rising for some time due to the situation that nations such as China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei have territory claims that overlap with one another. In particular, the relationship between China and the Philippines has been strained, as indicated by a few small incidents on the water and verbal disagreements between the two countries.
The United States of America has voiced concerns with China's spreading assertions in the South China Sea, despite its claim that it does not have any territorial claims in the region. It has been repeated by the United States government that it will protect the Philippines, which has been a strong ally of the United States, in the case that there is any violent assault against Filipino soldiers, according to ABC News.
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Chinese Vessel's Aggressive Move in South China Sea
A Chinese vessel approached the Philippine fishery vessel BRP Datu Sanday dangerously near during the encounter, according to Tarriela, who witnessed it happen from a distance of 100 meters. At least thirteen suspected Chinese militia warships were reportedly there and actively forming a blockade, said Tarriela.
There is more to the South China Sea issue than just competing territorial claims. According to Jonathan Anticamara, a marine scientist at the University of the Philippines, there have also been worries voiced about the environment. Anticamara says that preliminary evaluations showed the marine life to be in an alarming scenario, with fish and corals being found to be in "very poor" condition. In addition, his crew found "unnatural" debris heaps that suggested possible environmental deterioration.
Tensions in the region have increased as a result of certain claimant nations most prominently China and Vietnam converting reefs into man-made islands. The Asia marine Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a US-based organization, found that China's massive land reclamation efforts had created hundreds of hectares of new land since 2013, drastically changing the state of the seafloor, Borrons reported.
