China Coast Guard Blocks Philippine Patrol Near Thitu — SkimNews
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- Philippine Coast Guard said two China Coast Guard vessels and a PLA Navy helicopter obstructed a Sunday law enforcement operation against a foreign fishing vessel suspected of dynamite fishing near Thitu Island (Pag-asa) in the South China Sea.
- Joint Philippine personnel from the PCG, Philippine Navy, and Philippine National Police Maritime Group responded to reports of suspected blast fishing near Sandy Cays 2 and 3, about three nautical miles west of Thitu, before the pursuit was aborted for safety reasons.
- The suspect vessel ignored multiple stop orders and sailed southwest toward Subi Reef, one of seven artificial islands China has built in the Spratlys to support its sovereignty claims.
- The PCG said the China Coast Guard had "no law enforcement authority" in the territorial sea of Thitu and that its actions "made it easier for a suspected violator to escape," while rejecting any Chinese claim that Philippine vessels had been expelled.
- Separately, a Chinese J-16 fighter jet repeatedly approached and maneuvered close to a Philippine patrol aircraft over Scarborough Shoal on Saturday, which the Armed Forces of the Philippines called an aviation safety risk.
- The Armed Forces of the Philippines described both incidents as part of a "recurring pattern of unsafe and coercive behaviour" against Philippine vessels and aircraft conducting lawful operations.
Why it matters: The PCG's public rejection of China's law enforcement authority at Thitu — explicitly stating the China Coast Guard 'had no law enforcement authority' in the island's territorial sea — is a direct diplomatic challenge that escalates the bilateral dispute. Thitu, at 37 hectares the largest of nine Philippine-held Spratly features, sits 450 km from the mainland, making sustained Chinese interference there a recurring flashpoint.
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