Philippines denounces China for erecting floating barrier in contentious South China Sea

The Philippines criticized China for putting up a “floating barrier” in a disputed part of the South China Sea. They were upset because it stopped Filipino boats from going into the area to fish.

In a statement, the spokesperson for the Philippine coast guard, Jay Tarriela, said that Philippine vessels found a floating barrier while doing a regular patrol on Friday. The barrier was about 300 meters long.

The Philippine coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are very upset about China’s coast guard putting up a floating barrier in the Southeast area of Bajo de Masinloc. This barrier stops Filipino fishing boats from going into the shoal and they cannot fish or make a living.

Tarriela posted pictures of a supposed barrier floating on the water and said that three boats from the Chinese coast guard and one boat from the Chinese maritime militia had put up the barrier after a Philippine government ship arrived in the area.

The Philippines coast guard recently shared a video showing large areas of damaged and pale corals. This has led officials to blame China for causing extensive harm to the environment in that region.

Tarriela stated that the ongoing extensive and harmful fishing activities by the Chinese maritime militia in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal may have directly damaged the marine environment in the West Philippine Sea. The West Philippine Sea refers to parts of the South China Sea under Manila’s control.

Tarriela said that finding crushed corals indicates that someone may have thrown them away, possibly after cleaning them.

When asked about the damage to coral during a regular meeting, China’s foreign ministry rejected the accusations as untrue and without evidence.

“We suggest that the officials in the Philippines should not use false information to create a political act,” spokesperson Mao Ning shared with journalists.

Filipino fishermen say that Chinese ships usually put up floating barriers when they see a lot of Filipino fishermen nearby.

China has not said anything publicly yet.

CNN wants to hear what China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to say.

Bajo de Masinloc, which is also called the Scarborough Shoal, is a small and important reef and good fishing spot located 130 miles (200 kilometers) to the west of the Philippine island of Luzon.

China and other countries argue over the ownership of the Huangyandao shoal. This is just one of many islands and reefs in the South China Sea that are in dispute.