China says it expelled a Philippine gov't ship from disputed waters
June 20 (UPI) -- China said its coast guard on Friday expelled a Philippine government ship from waters near a disputed shoal as maritime tensions between the two feuding neighbors intensify.
China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said in a statement that they "took necessary measures to expel the vessel, including verbal warnings, monitoring and intercepting maneuvers and water cannon deterrence."
It accused the vessel of having "forcibly intruded into the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Island ... despite multiple warnings and dissuasions from the Chinese side."
The Philippine ship was identified as government vessel No. 3306.
"The spokesperson emphasized that the actions of the Philippine side seriously infringe upon China's sovereignty and violate both international and relevant Chinese laws," the statement said. "He added that repeated provocations and harassment by the Philippines cannot change the fact that Huangyan Island belongs to China.
Huangyan Island is known internationally as the Scarborough Shoal and in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc.
The disputed maritime territory is a triangular chain of reefs and rocks that falls within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, but China lays claim to it and much of the South China Sea through its Nine-Dash-Line maps, which have been rejected by several nations, including the United States. The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration also disregarded the maps in a 2016 decision.
The Philippines has yet to comment on the incident, but it comes a day after its coast guard said it responded to the swarming of the Sabina Shoal by a Chinese maritime militia numbering more than 50 vessels.
Two Philippine Coast Guard vessels and a fighter jet were deployed to address the militia, which was within the Philippines' EEZ, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
Clashes between the Philippines and China in disputed waters are not uncommon, with the United States frequently voicing support for its ally Manila in the confrontations.
On Monday, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative think tank issued a report stating the Scarborough Shoal has emerged as a new focal point in tensions between Manila and Beijing.
It warned that increasing aerial and maritime interactions between the countries near the shoal threaten to trigger U.S. treaty obligations and "risk spiraling into a wider conflict."
"At Scarborough, China is reacting to all navigation by Philippine government vessels within a much larger geographic area," the report states.
"Without a clear point of compromise, it appears that any Philippine maritime asset operating between Scarborough Shoal and the eastern edge of the Nine-Dash-Line is likely to attract a Chinese escort -- and a heightened risk of accident -- for the foreseeable future."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Military News
an hour ago
- American Military News
US lawmakers honor Dalai Lama with bipartisan resolution ahead of 90th birthday
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Ahead of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on July 6, U.S. lawmakers have introduced bipartisan resolutions in both chambers of the U.S. Congress to honor the Tibetan spiritual leader and designate the anniversary as 'A Day of Compassion.' The resolution – introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday and in the Senate on Tuesday – reaffirms that only the Dalai Lama himself should determine his successor and that any attempt by Beijing to select or appoint one would be an 'invalid interference' and violation of religious freedom rights. China has sought greater control over Tibetan Buddhism since invading the independent Himalayan country in 1950 and forcing the Dalai Lama into exile in India in 1959. In 2007, Beijing announced it would oversee the recognition of all reincarnate Tibetan lamas, including the next Dalai Lama. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), who co-introduced the Senate resolution with Todd Young (R-Indiana), emphasized the broader stakes. 'As the Chinese government continues to ignore the rights of Tibet under international law, we're sending the message that we must protect these fundamental freedoms,' Merkley said. In the House, Representatives Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts) introduced a similar resolution recognizing the Dalai Lama's 'outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and religious understanding.' 'Despite having faced persecution, oppression, and unspeakable violence at the hands of the CCP, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has maintained inner peace and continues to preach compassion – inspiring not only his own people, but the entire world,' said McCaul. CCP refers to the Chinese Communist Party. McCaul last year led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Dharamsala, India, where he presented the Dalai Lama with a framed copy of a U.S. bill, that was later signed into law, in support of Tibetan people's right to self-determination. 'The people of Tibet have an inalienable right to self-determination, and our resolution reaffirms the United States' commitment to Tibetans by supporting their basic human rights, religious freedom, culture, and language,' said Merkley. In recent years, China has sought to control the reincarnation process of Tibetan religious leaders in an apparent attempt to appoint the Dalai Lama's successor. But in his new book titled 'Voice for the Voiceless,' the Dalai Lama has said that his successor would be born in the 'free world,' which he described as outside China. 'The new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama – that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people – will continue,' the Dalai Lama said in the book. The latest resolution reiterates that the selection and installation of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders are within the authority of the Tibetan Buddhist community. 'I'm proud to stand with the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet in their struggle for freedom and peace against the Chinese Communist Party's continued aggression. The CCP's status quo – both in Tibet and elsewhere – is not acceptable,' said Young. The resolution is co-sponsored by a group of bipartisan lawmakers including Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), and Young Kim (R-Calif.), and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Curtis (R-UT), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Both resolutions have to be approved by committee and then voted on by each chamber before passage.
American Military News
an hour ago
- American Military News
Veteran Chinese dissident faces ongoing police harassment despite prison release
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Three months after his prison release, veteran dissident Chen Yunfei is in the cross-hairs of police over his social media posts and has faced multiple rounds of questioning and harassment amid ongoing surveillance, Radio Free Asia has learned. The Chengdu-based human rights activist and Chinese performance artist was released on March 24 after serving a four-year prison sentence in the southwestern province of Sichuan. But his friends say his freedom has been largely illusory, as police have repeatedly summoned him for interrogations and severely restricted his movements and ability to resume work. Chen has faced repeated persecution for his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party and commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen protests, including demands that the government investigate the crackdown and compensate victims. In 2021, he was sentenced to four years in jail on of child molestation which he denied and said were intended to smear his reputation. Most recently, on the eve of the 36th anniversary of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square protests crackdown, the National Security Bureau and local police subjected Chen to a five-hour interrogation, where he was forced to sit on the 'tiger bench,' Chen's friend and colleague Guan told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday. 'Tiger bench' is a form of torture used to restrain and immobilize detainees during questioning. Chen, like many others RFA interviewed for this story, asked to be identified only by a single name for fear of reprisals. 'The police accused him of 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble,'' said Guan, referring to a criminal charge frequently used by Chinese authorities to carry out arbitrary detentions against rights activists and dissidents. The charges were based on Chen's social media activity, including reposts of tweets by Ming Chu-cheng, an honorary professor of politics at National Taiwan University, and prominent dissidents Pastor Wang Yi, the pastor of a banned Protestant church in Chengdu, and citizen journalist Cai Chu, said Guan. Despite the lack of a subpoena, the police summoned Chen for questioning, confiscating his mobile phone and Wi-Fi equipment for three days, before returning them on June 3 night after repeated protests, Guan said. Chen's livelihood has also been impacted, his friends said. Upon release from prison, Chen found that his nursery business, which he had operated for many years, was emptied of all assets, causing him to lose his source of income, said Yang, another friend of the activist. The courts have also listed him as a 'dishonest debtor,' preventing him from accessing his bank accounts or resuming work, Yang said. 'He now has difficulty even renting a house and can only survive on donations from friends and through loans,' said Fang Liang, another friend of Chen's. During Chen's most recent imprisonment, his 91-year-old mother was also forcibly and violently removed from her Chengdu rental home by community workers, during which she suffered a head injury that required over a month of hospitalization, Guan said. During the forced eviction, many of the family's assets of value disappeared, including $30,000 of pension money that his mother had set aside for her granddaughter's education abroad, $5,800 in cash, and about 40,000 yuan (or US$5,560) in Chinese currency, Guan said. When Chen attempted to file a police report after discovering his empty home upon release, authorities refused to issue a receipt or open an investigation, said Yang. 'They don't allow you to have any evidence to sue them,' said Yang. 'The government said it's not their responsibility, and the police said to contact the community — they just pushed the matter back and forth.' Despite the ongoing harassment, Chen's friends say he is preparing to file a civil lawsuit to recover his mother's lost property and challenge the police's abuse of power. Shandong-based legal scholar Lu described Chen's ongoing troubles as a consequence of a typical 'secondary punishment' model that is designed to maintain control over dissidents through non-judicial means. 'Administrative review is inactive, the police deliberately do not issue receipts, and elderly mothers are forced to become homeless,' Lue said 'This is not law enforcement, but political coercion.'
American Military News
an hour ago
- American Military News
US representatives, union workers warn ‘critical' Boston Ship Repair vanishing without investment, work
U.S. representatives and Boston Ship Repair workers gathered at one of the country's few remaining large dry docks in the Seaport on Monday, calling for investment and support for U.S. ship building and repair as the facilities struggle to survive overseas competition. 'Let me be clear, if immediate action is not taken by our federal, state and city agencies, this year, this facility will face the same fate,' said Boston Ship Repair CEO Edward Snyder, citing the closure of the company's shipyard in Philadelphia. 'We will become a once-talked-about graveyard with a history but no future.' Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, along with Rep. Joe Courtney from Connecticut and Rep. Jared Golden from Maine, all Democrats, called for 'urgent investments' in facilities like the Boston dock supporting U.S.-based ship building and repair industries. Flanked by a hulking gray-and-black vessel docked in the facility's basin over 1,000 feet long, the politicians, union and company leadership called the movement of work critical to military and commercial vessels a threat to the local economies and jobs, as well as the country's national security. As layoffs hit the industry, Boston Ship Repair has shrunk from about 300 workers to now just 60, IAM Union Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan said. About 80 U.S.-flagged ships are currently engaged in international commerce while China has more than 5,500, Sullivan said, calling on Americans to 'pay attention to these numbers.' 'It was facilities like this that allowed us to build and repair a Navy that preserved democracy when democracy hung in the balance,' said Lynch. 'That is our role, and we are losing that capacity here in this country.' The group expressed support for U.S. Trade Representative penalties on Chinese ships, pushed by the Trump administration, and incentives related to U.S.-built vessels. They also heralded the SHIPS for America Act introduced in Congress, aiming to rebuild U.S. shipyard infrastructure. There is need for oversight in the work distribution, Golden said, noting that the Boston facility only sees 60% to 70% utilization while others face a backlog of repair work. 'When the shipyard is empty, our members get laid off,' said IAM Union Local S25 President Andre Lavertue. 'Too often we see younger workers get let go and never return to work. These jobs need to be secured, and we need consistent, efficient use of our shipyard here at home.' Rep. Courtney noted the 'hypercompetitive environment in Washington' in terms of funding priorities but the bipartisan support for the issue. 'We're in the process now of writing the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the 2026 budget, which Jared and I can tell you needs a lot of work in terms of what's been given to us by the administration,' said Courtney. 'But again, I'm an optimist that, with the right partnership and the right coalition of forces, this is an issue that rises above partisanship in terms of what the nation needs.' ___ © 2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
