On February 15th, several Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels harassed a Philippines Bureau of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel near Scarborough Shoal.
According to Automatic Identification System data, the Chinese vessels shadowed and blocked the BFAR vessel when the BFAR ship was south of the shoal.
Global Times issued a statement on social media, saying that the CCG and CMM vessels “implemented measures to control the vessel’s navigation and compel it to leave the area.” The news outlet also attached a video with the statement that showed one interaction between the vessels.
#Breaking: China Coast Guard expelled a Philippine vessel that had illegally intruded into the waters adjacent to Huangyan Dao in the #SouthChinaSea on Thursday. After repeated warnings, the CCG implemented measures to control the vessel's navigation and compel it to leave the… pic.twitter.com/Ac8qSsOWUX
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 15, 2024
The Scarborough Shoal is contested between China and the Philippines since the country occupied the shoal in 2012.
