Manila to hold its ground as Beijing turns up pressure at disputed shoal

Philippine patrols to continue despite move by China to designate atoll as nature reserve

- Mara Cepeda Philippines Correspondent and Aw Cheng Wei China Correspondent

The Philippines will keep up support for the country's fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, said an official on Sept 17, despite China's increased efforts to assert control after designating the disputed atoll a national nature reserve.

"We will not stop patrolling Bajo de Masinloc," said Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela, using the Philippines' name for the shoal at a press conference in Manila. "Our operations will go on to ensure the safety and livelihood of Filipino fishermen."

China is in no position to use environmental protection in its claims over the shoal, he added, citing Beijing's artificial island-building activities in the South China Sea over the years.

"We have seen how China destroyed the seabed of all those reclaimed islands that they have in the entire South China Sea," he said. "It's a hard sell for China to convince the international community that they are environmentalists nowadays."

His comments came a day after the China Coast Guard fired a water cannon against Philippine ships near the disputed shoal in the South China Sea, damaging a Philippine fisheries vessel and injuring one crew member.

The incident marked the first time that Beijing issued an impromptu warning of a live-fire drill in the area, though no such exercise ultimately took place.

On Sept 16, the China Coast Guard said it used verbal warnings and water cannon spraying to expel Philippine vessels from its territorial waters. It alleged that an official Philippine vessel had engaged in dangerous manoeuvres and deliberately rammed one of its ships.