BEIJING (Reuters) – China has indisputable sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal and its adjacent waters, and has always resolutely countered infringements by the Philippines, a spokesperson for China Coast Guard said in a statement released late Tuesday.
The spokesperson said four Philippine personnel illegally intruded in certain areas on Jan. 28, and the Coast Guard warned them to leave in accordance with the law. The interaction was “professional and standardised”, according to the statement.
Accusations and runs-in have occurred frequently between the two countries over the past year over disputed territorial areas of the South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, which has angered neighbouring countries that dispute some boundaries they say cut into their exclusive economic zones.
“China’s Coast Guard will, as always, defend and enforce” the law in waters under the country’s jurisdiction,…
