DISPUTED SOVEREIGNTY
Sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal has never been established. A landmark 2016 international court ruling on the South China Sea, which voided Beijing’s sweeping claims to the region, was not tasked with establishing ownership.
But the court said China’s blockade of the shoal violated international law and that the area was a traditional fishing ground for several countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam. China rejected the ruling.
The reef’s northeast rim, where China intends to impose environmental restrictions, is the same area most commonly accessed by Filipino fishermen because it is sheltered from currents and waves, Batongbacal said.
Scarborough Shoal, named Huangyan Island by Beijing and also called Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, has been occupied by China since 2012. Both Manila and Beijing claim sovereignty over the shoal, which is prized for rich fisheries, its protective lagoon and proximity to major shipping lanes.
China’s foreign ministry and its embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Philippines’ protest.
FLASHPOINT
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as outlined on maps by the “nine-dash line”, which cuts into parts of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Beijing in November last year also defined a baseline of territorial waters around the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing, which has built manmade islands on top of other reefs in the South China Sea, some with missile systems and runways, has denied harming marine ecosystems in the region and has accused the Philippines of the same. Manila rejects that.
Source: CNA
