Phillipines remove Chinese barrier from the disputed shoal
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Phillipines remove Chinese barrier from the disputed shoal
Subject: IR
Section: Places in news
Context: The Philippines has removed a floating barrier installed by China to block Philippine fishing boats entering a contested area in the South China Sea.
More about the news:
- The Philippine coast guard has removed a floating barrier installed by China in a disputed area in the South China Sea. As per the Philippines, the barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law.
- China violated its fishing rights with the 300m barrier in the Scarborough Shoal.
Some facts about Scarborough Shoal:
- The Philippines described the shoal as an integral part of the Philippine national territory.
- Scarborough Shoal is within the 200-nautical-mile EEZ of the Philippines as defined by international maritime law.
- It was affirmed by a ruling of The Hague’s International Court of Arbitration.
- Beijing claims the area as part of its territory and refers to Scarborough Shoal as Huangyan Island.
- In 2012, Beijing seized control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines and forced Filipino fishermen to travel farther for smaller catches.
More about the South China Sea.
- The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean.
- The South China Sea is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
- Bordering states & territories (clockwise from north): the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
- The Gulf of Thailand and the Gulf of Tonkin are also part of the South China Sea.
- Contesting Claims Over Islands:
- The Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
- The Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Philippines.
- The Scarborough Shoal is claimed by the Philippines, China and Taiwan.
