As I’ve pointed out many times, China is always trying to up the ante in the South China Sea (and elsewhere) with new provocations. They’ve been trying to lay claim to various islands using something called the cabbage strategy for years. Recently they’ve been trying to use this around various islands near the coast of the Philippines.

Last month, the Chinese Coast Guard tried to prevent the Philippines from bringing supplies to a small contingent of soldiers who stay aboard an old rusted out boat that has been anchored over a spot called Ayungin Shoal since 1999. China claims the shoal as its own and has already militarized another nearby reef. The Chinese Coast Guard tried to block access to the shoal but it didn’t work and the supply boat got through the blockade.

Over the weekend, China tried another tactic to keep Philippine fishermen away from Scarborough Shoal, another submerged reef that China has long maintained was its own.

The Philippines on Sunday condemned the Chinese coast guard for installing what it called a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying that it prevented Filipino boats from entering and fishing in the area.

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said the floating barrier was discovered by Philippine vessels during a routine maritime patrol on Friday and measured around 300 meters (984 feet).

“The Philippine coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources strongly condemn the China coast guard’s installation of a floating barrier in the Southeast portion of Bajo de Masinloc, which prevents Filipino fishing boats from entering the shoal and depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities,” the statement read.

Here’s what the barrier looked like:

#Philippines will remove #China's fishing barrier installed illegally in its territory of Bajo de Masinloc Shoal. Out of fear of aggressive repulsion, Chinese coast guard secretly installed floating barriers in Phillippines waters dis- regarding International laws. pic.twitter.com/kc6CaneE5b

— Nepal Correspondence (@NepCorres) September 25, 2023

And here are some images showing the Chinese boats setting it up.

PCG and BFAR Condemn CCG’s Installation of Floating Barrier in the Southeast of BDM Shoal

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) strongly condemn the China Coast Guard’s (CCG’s) installation of floating barrier in the Southeast… pic.twitter.com/ed4cFtXcQs

— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) September 24, 2023

Today, the Philippine Coast Guard announced the barrier had been removed:

“The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law. It also hinders the conduct of fishing and livelihood activities of Filipino fisherfolk,” the Philippines coast guard said in a statement.

It described the shoal as “an integral part of the Philippine national territory”

There is video of the barrier being cut out and of an anchor that was removed along with it.

Philippine Coast Guard Successfully Removes Hazardous Floating Barrier in Compliance with Presidential Instruction

In compliance with the instruction of the President, the Chairman, National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), Sec. Eduardo Año, has directed the… pic.twitter.com/loeeFm45sU

— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) September 25, 2023

This fight over this particular shoal has a long backstory.

Beijing seized the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and forced fishermen from the Philippines to travel further for smaller catches.

It later allowed the Philippines to fish nearby when relations improved under former President Rodrigo Duterte.

However, tensions have heightened since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became president last year.

It was China’s seizure of this shoal that led to the Philippines seeking arbitration over control of this and other islands in the South China Sea. In 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration which is part of the Hague ruled in the Philippines favor and dismissed China’s claims to the majority of the South China Sea based on the nine-dashed line. However, China merely ignored the ruling and has continued to act as if they own everything. That’s exactly what they did yesterday when the Philippines complained about the barrier:

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the shoal and its adjacent waters are “China’s inherent territory,” where Beijing “has indisputable sovereignty.”

A Philippine government fisheries vessel “trespassed into the waters” without China’s permission on Sept. 22, Wang said, and “attempted to intrude into the lagoon” of the shoal. “China’s coast guard took the necessary measures to stop and warn off the ship in accordance with the law, which was professional and with restraint,” he added…

A Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship which anchored off Scarborough on Friday and at least 54 Filipino fishing boats were ordered by four Chinese coast guard ships by radio to leave the territory, saying the Filipinos were breaching Chinese and international law. The Philippine fisheries ship insisted in its radio response that it was on a routine patrol in Philippine waters…

So one barrier down but you can bet by next week China will lay claim to something else as their exclusive territory.