Manila: Chinese vessels no longer at disputed shoal

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines (AA) – One week after Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Beijing, his spokesman has revealed that Chinese Coast Guard vessels have not been observed at a disputed shoal for several days.

"For the past 3 days, it has been observed that there are no longer any Chinese Coast Guard vessels and that Filipino fishing boats are no longer being intercepted," Ernesto Abella was quoted as saying by the Rappler news website Friday.

"They are now able to fish in the area without being intercepted," he said at a presidential palace briefing.

After his return from China, Duterte had expressed hope that Filipino fishermen would soon be able to fish in the Scarborough Shoal -- also known as the Panatag Shoal.

“We did not talk about arms, we didn’t talk about war. We talked about how we can help each other. We will just wait for a few more days, we might return to Scarborough Shoal, fishing by our countrymen,” he said Sunday.

The shoal is located in an eastern region of the South China Sea -- which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea -- and was the site of a standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels in 2012 when the Philippine navy tried to apprehend Chinese vessels fishing in the area.

Following the incident, China restricted access to the area and the government of Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, brought an arbitration case against Beijing in a Hague-based international tribunal.

In July, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in the shoal but China had interfered with these rights by restricting access. Beijing declared the court's award "null and void".

Since taking office in June, Duterte has talked of forging links with China, where he paid a four-day state visit last week.