South China Sea: Beijing hits back at Manila over Scarborough Shoal barrier ‘farce’
Chinese foreign ministry insists the shoal is Chinese territory and dismisses the removal of its buoysBeijing backed down last month over the Second Thomas Shoal but analyst says it won’t do so this timeSouth China SeaLaura ZhouPublished: 8:54pm, 27 Sep, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
A Chinese observer said Beijing was unlikely to give ground to Manila in the latest maritime dispute between the two neighbours.
The row started on Friday when the Philippines protested over its discovery of a floating barrier set up by the Chinese coastguard at the Scarborough Shoal.
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday the barrier was put in place in accordance with the law to stop Philippine fishermen from entering the shoal’s lagoon.