From the decks of battered fishing boats, the struggle over Scarborough Shoal has entered a new, precarious phase. The methods employed are more coercive and designed to create an environment where fishing becomes increasingly difficult and dangerous for Filipinos.
As China steps up its patrols, Filipino fishers say they are being forced to abandon seas their families have plied for generations – raising fears that what’s unfolding at the reef could become the playbook for Beijing’s wider South China Sea ambitions. Filipino fishers report being harassed, intimidated, and even rammed by Chinese vessels. This creates a climate of fear and makes fishing a risky option to gain livelihood.
Chinese fishing fleets, often operating illegally and on a massive scale, are depleting fish stocks in the WPS. This leaves fewer fish for Filipino fishermen, impacting their livelihoods and driving them away from traditional fishing grounds. The sheer number and size of the Chinese vessels, coupled with their aggressive actions, creates an implicit threat of violence, making Filipino fishers apprehensive about venturing into disputed areas.
The Chinese coastguard’s intensified enforcement of a controversial anti-trespassing law is the latest move in China’s campaign to tighten its hold over the rocky outcrop, located just about 200km (124.274 miles) from the Philippines’ main island and exactly within Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone (EEC).
The warnings from fishers come as a fresh report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, published on Monday, cautioned that China’s expanding footprint around Scarborough Shoal risks cementing its de facto control arising the danger of future miscalculations in these disputed waters. “China just Adhere to the UNCLOS ruling”
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