Reports: “Barriers” in the sea: China emphasizes claim to atoll

Following reports of a “floating barrier” in a disputed region of the South China Sea, Beijing has stressed its claim to the area. The Huangyan Island, as the area in China also known as Scarborough Reef, legally belongs to China’s territory, said Foreign Office spokesman Wang Wenbin in Beijing.

A ship belonging to the Philippine Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Authority attempted to enter the atoll last Friday without Chinese approval. Chinese authorities intercepted the boat in accordance with the law, he said.

Barrier discovered

Previously, Philippine authorities said on Sunday that China had set up a “floating barrier” in the region. The approximately 300-meter-long chain of buoys around 230 kilometers west of the Philippine northwest coast is preventing fishermen from navigating the area, which is within the Philippines’ economic zone, it said. The Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources strongly condemned the installation.

The barrier was discovered on Friday during a routine patrol in the southeastern part of Scarborough Reef, also known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines. Today, National Security Advisor Eduardo Año announced that the Philippine government will take all necessary measures to remove the barriers to “protect the rights of our fishermen in the region.”

China and the Philippines lay claim to Scarborough Reef. It was the focus of a military incident between the two countries in 2012, after which Beijing quickly occupied the reef. Although a court ruled in 2016 that China’s historic rights to the area were no longer valid, Beijing does not recognize the ruling.

Minutes of Chinese Foreign Ministry’s daily press conferences, English report GMA Network report Channel News Asia