China Tightens Control at Scarborough Shoal

Recently, China deployed ships and a floating barrier at the entrance of Scarborough Shoal amid rising tensions with the Philippines.

• The Philippines has deployed its coast guard and fisheries vessels to support its fishermen.
• China reportedly installed a 352-metre floating barrier to control entry into the shoal.
• The shoal lies within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone but is also claimed by China under its “nine-dash line” claim.
• The dispute intensified after a 2012 standoff, following which China established effective control over the area.
• A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China’s expansive maritime claims, but China did not accept the verdict.
• The shoal ....