(Central News Agency reporter Lin Xingjian's special report from Manila on the 10th) The Philippines and China continue to exchange fire over the fishing dispute in Nanyue Island. Philippine Coast Guard officials today accused Chinese mother ships and sampans of operating near the islands as "coordinated maritime militia operations" rather than simple fishing activities.
Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard, posted on the social platform today that the Chinese mother ship with hull number "9622" and 22 sampans once again appeared in the waters near South Key Island (called Kota Island in the Philippines). The Philippine Coast Guard, with the support of the Navy and Marine Corps, successfully drove them away.
Tarriera said the Philippines had observed Chinese ships dumping waste at sea.
He said that normal fishing activities would not occur only 250 meters offshore where Philippine personnel are stationed on the island, nor would they be accompanied by a "maritime militia ship" as a mother ship. "This is obviously a coordinated maritime militia operation, not a simple fishing activity."
Tariela alleged that this mother ship also led 24 sampans in the waters near Nanyue Island on September 28, but they were also driven away by Philippine personnel.
In response to the fishing dispute on Nanyue Island, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines issued a statement on the 9th stating that China has sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Nanyue Island, and has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters. "Chinese fishermen, including fishermen from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, are engaged in normal fishing activities in accordance with Chinese domestic laws and relevant international laws, and the Philippines has no right to expel them."
Tariela countered today that the 2016 South China Sea case arbitration award has rejected China's South China Sea rights claims. China's invocation of "domestic law" cannot change the legal status of the South China Sea. Involving fishermen from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau cannot legalize "invasion" either.
Nankey Island is a rocky reef located in the Spratly Islands. It is classified by the Philippine government into the province of Palawan and is under the jurisdiction of the town-level local administrative area "Kalayaan Island Group". The Philippines claims that foreign vessels fishing without authorization violate Philippine fisheries laws and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On the other hand, the Philippine Coast Guard also accused the Chinese coast guard ship of obstructing the Philippine medical evacuation mission near the Ayungin Shoal on the 8th, causing the operation that should have only taken a few hours to be completed to be delayed to nearly 10 hours.
The Philippine Coast Guard said that when the Philippines sent a ship to pick up the sick soldiers stationed on board the "BRP Sierra Madre" (BRP Sierra Madre), it was blocked by the Chinese Coast Guard ship's water cannon. Fortunately, the patient was finally safely transferred that afternoon and was in stable condition.
