The Philippines on Monday demanded that China stop confiscating the catch of Filipino fishermen in the disputed South China Sea, calling the practice "unacceptable".

The remarks by President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman were a rare public rebuke from Manila, which has taken a non-confrontational approach with Beijing over the resource-rich waterway.

China controls several reefs in the sea including Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing seized from Manila in 2012 and is just 230 kilometres (143 miles) from the main Philippine island of Luzon.

China claims almost the entire sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, despite competing partial claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque on Monday confirmed a report that Chinese Coast Guard personnel seized the catch of Filipino fishermen in the shoal in May in violation of an agreement between the two nations allowing Filipinos to fish there.

"We are demanding that the Chinese take steps to stop the coast guard from doing these acts," Roque told reporters.

"That is unacceptable. That is why we informed the Chinese we will not allow fish to be taken from our countrymen."

The Chinese foreign ministry said it was investigating the reports and authorities will "seriously" deal with them if they are confirmed.

"Out of friendship, China has made proper arrangements for Filipino fishermen," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing.

"The Chinese coast guard is monitoring relevant waters to ensure peace and order in the area, and also offers humanitarian assistance to the Philippines fishermen," Geng said.

"The Chinese coast guard always abides by the law."

Duterte's administration rejects criticism that its response to Chinese activities in the hotly contested waters has been weak.

China in May reportedly deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on the Spratly Islands and flew nuclear-capable bombers to a base in another disputed part of the sea.

Duterte's aides have said previously the Philippines is taking "all diplomatic action" to protect its claims while insisting it would not anger China by engaging in "megaphone diplomacy".

Manila, which has pursued trade deals and investment from China, instead holds regular talks with Beijing on the dispute.

On Monday Roque refused to describe the latest incident as harassment, adding the Chinese Coast Guard gave the Filipino fishermen noodles, cigarettes and water in exchange for their catch.

The fishermen, who appeared with Roque in the news briefing, said they were powerless to stop repeated seizures by the Chinese.

"The (Chinese coast guard personnel) board our boats, look at where we store the fish and take the best ones. We cannot do anything because their huge vessels are there," said Romel Cejuela, one of the fishermen.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Sweden marks national day with major military exercise
Stockholm (AFP) June 6, 2018
Marking national day on Wednesday, Sweden called up 22,000 reservists for an exercise of a scale not seen in 40 years as tensions simmer between the West and Russia. A total of 40 battalions are carrying out nationwide snap drill manoeuvres to ramp up military security at a time when once cordial post-Cold War relations with Moscow have cooled. The army hopes at least half of Sweden's reservists will respond to the first mass call-up since 1975 for primarily land-based surveillance, defence and ... read more