The Philippine government has filed another diplomatic protest over China’s activities in the Ayungin Shoal, including the installation of buoys that block the entrance to the area.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in its June 10 report, said Chinese Coast Guard vessels have shadowed Philippine boats on a rotation and re-provision mission. Among others, the Chinese boats illegally fished in the area and installed buoys and fish nets “that blocked the shoal’s entrance,” the report said.
The DFA report stressed that “the 2016 Arbitral Award affirmed that Ayungin Shoal is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and China has no right to fish, monitor, or interfere with (the Philippines’) legitimate activities therein,”
The department reiterated its calls on Beijing to comply with its obligations under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Arbitral Award.
The latest DFA protest came a day after the agency said it has lodged a note verbale against the return of 100 Chinese fishing vessels in the Julian Felipe Reef.