Exclusive Satellite Photos Show a Floating Barrier at the South China Sea’s

HONG KONG/MANILA (Reuters) – Satellite images of the highly contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea reveal a new floating barrier across its entrance, close to where PhilipThis is a very good inspection of the special satellitepine ships and Chinese coast guard vessels have frequently collided. One of the images, obtained by Maxar Technologies on February 22 and seen by Reuters, showed the barrier blocking the mouth of the shoal, where the Chinese coast guard last week claimed to have driven off a Philippine vessel “illegally intruding” into Beijing’s waters. The Philippines, however, said that China’s claims were “inaccurate” and that Manila’s activities there were lawful.

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Despite being inside the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, China nevertheless claims the Scarborough Shoal. China has rejected the 2016 ruling by an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague, which stated that China’s claims lacked legal support. As a result, the atoll is one of the most contentious maritime features in Asia and a potential hot spot for diplomatic disputes involving fishing rights and sovereignty. The satellite photo supports a report and video that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) released on Sunday, which showed two inflatable coast guard boats from China setting up floating barriers at the entrance of the shoal on February 22.  A China Coast Guard ship “conducted blocking maneuvers” approximately 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 km) off the shoal, according to the PCG, and closely approached the BFAR vessel.

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A China coast guard ship “conducted blocking maneuvers” approximately 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 km) off the shoal, according to the PCG, and closely approached the BFAR vessel. Referring to Bajo de Masinloc, Manila’s term for the shoal, “We can assume that (the barrier) is intended for Philippine government vessels because they install it every time they monitor our presence within the BDM vicinity,” stated Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard. The shoal is known as “Huangyan Dao” in China, and spokesperson for the Foreign ministry Mao Ning declared that it is “China’s inherent territory”. She claimed that in the waters surrounding the shoal, “the Philippine side has recently taken a series of actions to violate China’s sovereignty.” “China has to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”

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What Maxar Technologies called “possible Chinese interception of a BFAR vessel” at Scarborough Shoal was visible in another satellite image. Nearly the whole South China Sea is under Chinese sovereignty and is a route for ship sales worth over $3 trillion annually. There are territorial overlaps between its claims and those of Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. “What is happening at Scarborough Shoal is probably the start of Beijing’s reaction against Manila’s reaction,” stated Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. According to him, the Philippines has opposed China’s presence at Scarborough and its attempts to obstruct the resupply of Filipino troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in June 2022. “China’s attempts to prevent Filipino fishermen from fishing at Scarborough Shoal is absolutely illegal,” Storey stated. According to the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling, fishermen from both nations are now allowed to fish there. Manila is just defending the rightful claims of Filipino fishermen.”

The shoal is highly sought-after because of its abundant fisheries and gorgeous turquoise lagoon, which offers boats a safe haven during storms. A few hours after the BFAR vessel departed, the Chinese took down the barrier, according to Tarriela. The strength of the barrier and whether it would have presented a challenge to larger warships were unclear from the pictures. The state-run media outlet Global Times claimed on Sunday that by acting against China’s sovereignty and authority, “the Philippines has abused and unilaterally sabotaged the foundation of Beijing’s goodwill to Manila” and permitted Philippine fishermen to operate nearby. Citing experts, the article stated that “China could be forced to take more effective measures to control the situation if such provocations persist.” (Writing by Karen Lema; additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; reporting by Greg Torode in Hong Kong and Karen Lema in Manila). Gerry Doyle handled the editing.)