Philippines stops research survey in disputed sea amid China’s ‘harassment’

After China’s coastguard and navy engaged in “dangerous harassment” and aggressive behavior, the Philippines suspended a scientific survey in the South China Sea.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported on Saturday that four smaller boats and three Chinese coastguard ships were “aggressive manoeuvres” being made in front of two inflatable Philippine Bureau of Fisheries boats as they were Friday attempting to collect sand samples from Sandy Cay, which is close to the Philippines-occupied Thitu island.

A Chinese navy helicopter also hovered at an “unsafe altitude” over those craft, it said.

For years, the two nations have been battling it out in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. China claims almost all of the strategic waterway, through which $3 trillion of commerce moves annually, overlapping with claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

That claim has been&nbsp, declared as without basis&nbsp, by the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague, &nbsp, a decision Beijing does not recognise.

Survey operations were suspended as a result of this ongoing harassment and disregard for safety displayed by the Chinese maritime forces, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

Despite the “dangerous confrontations”, no accidents occurred, the coastguard added.

China Coast Guard asserted in a statement that it has “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands, including Sandy Cay, and that it has intercepted two Philippine vessels and directed them away in accordance with the law, including in a statement.

The Philippine vessels attempted to “illegally” land on the reef, according to the China Coast Guard, without permission, close to Tiexian Reef to collect sand samples.

Thitu lies about 430km (267 miles) from the major Philippine island of Palawan, and more than 900km (560 miles) from China’s nearest major landmass of Hainan island.

The Subi Reef is close to Thitu and is being surrounded by Chinese forces.

The foreign affairs department reported that Philippine forces resupplied and rotated without incident troops manning a derelict navy vessel that was stranded on the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys on Friday.

In order to assert its position in the area, Manila had purposefully grounded the ship Sierra Madre on the reef.

This month, the Philippine government raised the alarm over Chinese coastguard ships patrolling closer to Luzon, the island nation’s main island, and called it Beijing’s “intimidation tactic.”

A spokesman for the Chinese government said the patrols were “in accordance with the law,” while China refuted the claim.