Sat Jan 25 12:47:58 IST 2025: **Philippine Scientific Survey Halted After Chinese Coast Guard Harassment in South China Sea**
MANILA – The Philippines has suspended a scientific survey in the disputed South China Sea after its vessels encountered aggressive actions from Chinese coast guard and navy forces. The Philippine Coast Guard reported that three Chinese coast guard vessels and four smaller boats performed “aggressive manoeuvres” near two Philippine Bureau of Fisheries inflatable boats conducting a sand sampling operation near Sandy Cay (Tiexian Reef claimed by China) on Friday. A Chinese navy helicopter also allegedly hovered at an unsafe altitude.
The incident is the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between the two nations in the strategically vital waterway. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, a claim rejected by an international court ruling that Beijing does not recognize. The Philippines, along with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, also have overlapping claims.
The Philippine Coast Guard stated that the continuous harassment prompted the suspension of survey operations, although no accidents occurred. China’s Coast Guard countered that the Philippine vessels entered Chinese waters without permission and attempted an illegal landing to collect samples. They asserted China’s “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands, which includes Sandy Cay.
Despite a recent meeting between Manila and Beijing aiming for cooperation, tensions remain high. Earlier this month, the Philippines also raised concerns about increased Chinese coast guard patrols near the main Philippine island of Luzon. The resupply and troop rotation on the grounded Philippine navy vessel, Sierra Madre, at Second Thomas Shoal, took place without incident on Friday. The Sierra Madre serves as a symbol of the Philippine claim in the area. The ongoing disputes highlight the complex and potentially volatile situation in the South China Sea.
First Piper 