The Philippine Coast Guard yesterday accused a Chinese vessel of “dangerous maneuvers” as it attempted to block Filipino scientists from reaching a reef in the South China Sea.
The incident happened onThursday near Sandy Cay (Dunqian Cay, 敦謙沙洲), several kilometers from the Philippine-held Thitu Island (Jhongye Island, 中業島) in the contested Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), where the two countries have repeatedly clashed in recent months.
Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels, including collisions, in the strategic waterway have strained relations between Manila and Beijing, which have a long history of maritime territorial disputes.
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP
In the latest incident, a boat belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was taking marine scientists to the reef when a China Coast Guard vessel crossed its path, coming as close as 100m, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
Tarriela said the China Coast Guard vessel sounded a siren for more than 30 minutes to draw the attention of “Chinese maritime militia” boats in the area.
However, the China Coast Guard on Thursday said that 34 Filipinos had “illegally” landed on the reef that the Philippines calls Pagasa Cay 2.
Chinese “law enforcement officers” landed there, where they “investigated,” China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu (甘羽) said in a statement.
“That’s another lie coming from the Chinese Coast Guard,” Tarriela said yesterday.
Tarriela said the scientific team spent four hours at two reefs and was able to complete its mission, despite the presence of Chinese vessels and a Chinese military helicopter circling overhead.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from countries including the Philippines and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
An initial assessment of Sandy Cay and a second reef near Thitu showed that the fish and corals were in a “very poor” state, University of the Philippines marine biologist Jonathan Anticamara told a news conference.
Anticamara, who led the scientific mission, said his team observed “unnatural” and “wide” piles of rubble taller than a person at Sandy Cay.
“We don’t know who put it there,” Anticamara said.
Some of the countries with overlapping claims to the Spratlys, including Taiwan, China and Vietnam, have turned reefs into artificial islands where they have built ports, airstrips and military facilities.
China’s land reclamation has outstripped other claimants, the US-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said.
AMTI said China has carried out “unprecedented dredging and artificial island-building in the Spratlys” since 2013, creating about 1,300 hectares of new land.
Taiwan last night blanked world No. 1 Japan 4-0 to win the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time. Taiwanese ace Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) held defending champions Japan to just one hit and no runs in the first four innings, before catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) opened the fifth inning with a solo home run. That was soon followed by a three-run homer from Taiwanese captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) to put Taiwan ahead in the prestigious tournament of the world’s top 12 baseball teams. In addition to a superb performance from 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Lin, three more Taiwanese pitchers
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday held an equipment installation ceremony for its first 2-nanometer fab in Kaohsiung, six months ahead of schedule, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. “To cope with the strong global demand for advanced chips, TSMC is to start moving in equipment for its first-ever 2-nanometer fab half a year earlier than scheduled,” Chen said at an question-and-answer session at the Kaohsiung City Council. TSMC’s 2-nanometer process technology would help accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications as well as the transformation of local industries in Kaohsiung, Chen said in a
TEAM TAIWAN: While lawmakers proposed declaring Nov. 24 a national day, the CPBL commissioner urged the legislature to pass the budget for sports development Lawmakers yesterday proposed designating Nov. 24 as National Baseball Day and updating the design of the NT$500 bill to honor the national team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 championship on Sunday, as thousands of fans came out to see the players parade down the streets of Taipei. Players, coaches and staff from the national team returned home on Monday night after achieving their best-ever performance in an international baseball tournament. After receiving a rapturous welcome at the airport, the players turned out yesterday for a street parade in front of thousands of adoring fans waving Taiwanese flags and
RSS