China has blocked four Philippine vessels that attempted to “intrude into interior waters” of the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, the country’s coastguard said.
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“On December 4, four Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels attempted to intrude into the territorial waters of China’s Huangyan Island and came dangerously close to the normal law enforcement and inspection vessels of China’s coastguard,” spokesperson Liu Dejun said in a statement on Wednesday morning, referring to the shoal’s name in Chinese.
“The Chinese side exercises control over the vessels in accordance with the law,” the statement said, adding that the four vessels were numbered 9701, 4409, 3002 and 3003.
According a statement by the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Philippine vessels conducted “a routine maritime patrol” to support Filipino fishermen in the area and encountered “aggressive actions” from several Chinese coastguard vessels and two ships from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.
One Chinese coastguard vessel fired a water cannon twice at a Philippine vessel and sideswiped it, the statement said.
PCG vessels faced “blocking, shadowing and dangerous manoeuvres” from PLA Navy vessel 500 and CCG 503, and another vessel was subjected to “reckless manoeuvres” by a Chinese coastguard vessel at a distance of 300 yards (274 metres), it added.