Now on BBC News, Our World -
and a storm is brewing in the South China Sea.
There are currently more Chinese
There are currently more Chinese vessels patrolling this
area on the outskirts. There is trouble in the south China Sea.
The Chinese government is amassing shifts, taking over
reefs and rocks. We settled into occupied maritime
territory to take a closer look at raising's aggressive policy
and the militia it uses to enforce it. -- Beijing. Five
years since a landmark legal victory for the Philippines, we
ask whether China is adhering to the ruling. What you get is
this overwhelming that is now global, of China as a rules
breaker in the South China Sea. We had straight into the ...
Filipino fishermen caught in the middle.
George has been fishing since he was just 12 years old.
George's son fishes as well but worries for his future.
George and JR fish in the hotly contested South China Sea. $3.5
trillion worth of International Trade passes through here every
year. It is believed to hold sizeable reserves of oil and
gas. Six countries claim exclusive economic zones
according to a United Nations treaty. Each one stretching up
to 200 nautical miles from their coastlines. The area in
the middle is regarded as international waters. But China
stands alone in claiming all of the territory and its resources
within its disputed nine dashed line, created after World War
II. George and JR fish at Scarborough Shoal. Around 160
nautical miles from Philippines and more than 400 nautical
miles from China. It has its own territorial sea, but the
Philippines claimant has there is. Vietnam also claims
historical rights to fish there. China has been
blockading the lagoon since 2012.
George and his son JR have been repeatedly chased away from
Scarborough Shoal. They have agreed to take me with them. To
witness what happens at sea.
This journey became riskier earlier this year when China
changed its coastguard law to allow the use of weapons to
eliminate dangers when the national sovereignty is being
infringed upon. After 22 hours of sailing, we arrive at
Scarborough Shoal. It is high tide and the reef is hardly
breaking the surface, but if you look closely, waves from
the deep blue ocean break on a lighter turquoise body of
water. That is the limestone reef you can see in the
satellite image. Easier to spot is the Chinese presence.
So there is a Chinese coastguard vessel that is
watching us at the moment. It has done three sweeps, first of
200 metres away, then 100 metres away, and now 50 metres
away, it is watching our every move.
The coastguard ship leaves without incident but it has
made its point. Going inside Scarborough Shoal is off
limits.
Instead, the crews stay on the outside, fanning out in small
boats.
They are rigged to compressor pumps and long tubes. A risky
alternative to air tank diving.
They passed by what looks like old torpedo or artillery
shells. Possible remnants from the time America maintained
military bases in the Philippines and used the Shoal
is a firing range.
Day two and we're going the lagoon. Carefully evading the
attention of the Chinese blockade of the eastern
entrance.
George and JR take the risk for this. With roughly 40 US
dollars. -- worth. That is more than the average daily wage in
the Philippines.
The one thing that strikes me about Scarborough Shoal is how
fitting the name is. It is an old English word for shallow
and everywhere I have looked, it has been maybe chest height
maximum. Even how flat it is, it is an ideal place for land
reclamation and China have a long history in doing exactly
that. Scarborough Shoal isn't the only reef in the South
China Sea that China has taken an interest in. Satellite
images from 2012 to 2020 of mischief Reef in the Spratly
Islands reveal it is slowly being transformed into a
muscular military base complete with airstrips and
anti-aircraft guns. At this reef and six others in the
Spratlys, China dredge sand and rock onto coral reef, turning
them into artificial islands. Similar islands have been
transformed where China maintains a constant presence.
Some believe if Beijing builds on Scarborough Shoal it will
completely control access to the South China Sea. Tensions
rose this year when China began swarming reefs and rocks with
hundreds of votes in the Spratly Islands.
Philippine secretary of foreign affairs had had enough and
tweeted asking China to get the "F out". I spoke with the
secretary to ask how he acted so strongly. Talk us through
your Twitter feed and your rant and explosive tweets.
The secretary deleted his tweet and apologised to his Chinese
counterpart. A spokesperson said they hoped a certain
individual from the Philippines side will mind basic manners
and act in a way that suits his status.
This is a Scarborough Shoal at low tide. It is named after a
British trading ship that ran aground here in the 18th
century. Filipinos refer to it as Panatak or peaceful Shoal.
You can see hundreds of these rocks jutting out from the
waterline. And although this looks like it benign place,
this is at the centre of the major dispute. On the one hand,
China claims large swathes of these waters is theirs and then
you have countries like UK, US Australia and India, coming
together with this Indo Pacific doctrine, the idea that these
waters should be free and accessible for all.
America's Indo Pacific strategy aims to reassert its influence
in Asia by working with its allies to promote rules based
international order. They are trying to game the system or
tip the rules in their favour and it keeps everything off
balance. That is why we are so adamant that these areas of the
world remain peaceful weather that is the South China Sea,
the Arabian Gulf and increasingly, it is of vital
interest to America's foreign policy to secure,
The United Kingdom plans to test that freedom later this
year when its new flagship aircraft carrier will sale
through the South China Sea. China sees international moves
to keep these seas open as a plot to contain its rise and
sabotage its stability. But the countryside at the 1982 United
Nations Convention on the law of the sea, the international
legal framework to settle Maritime disputes. When the
Philippines use a lot to challenge China into the
permanent Court of arbitration, the tribunal ruled that China
had unlawfully prevented Filipinos from fishing in
Scarborough Shoal. China did not participate in the tribunal
nor accept its findings. Whence marking the beginning of the
monsoon season rock the vote. It is around six o'clock in the
morning and we have moved to the eastern entrance of
Scarborough Shoal. On the horizon, you cannot see
anything apart from three big votes guarding the eastern
entrance. Normally, under these weather conditions, Filipina
vessels would shelter inside the lagoon. This is no longer
possible under China's control. A violation of the 2016 ruling.
The JR and I want to take a closer look at the located
eastern entrance. After ten minutes into the mouth of
Scarborough Shoal, we notice a vote moving quickly towards us.
I hide my camera so as not to attract their attention. The JR
once as to get out of here. --JR. The vote loves to China's
third force, not the Navy, not the coastguard but the Maritime
militia. This year, the same paramilitary group released a
music video showing a training exercise where a small fishing
vote is rammed.
Over the last ten years or so, some small component, horribly
a few hundred votes of these militia force has been
professionalised. The national and provincial governments have
dumped money into upgrading them, building new votes,
giving them uniforms and weapons training and
integrating dream into the chain of command -- integrating
them. Now you have a militia that really is a professional
paramilitary force. By cross-referencing our footage
with satellite data, it appears a militia vessel that sped at
us is called... . We cannot get a good handle on what exactly
it is doing other than being there at the shoal for weeks at
a time and this is one of the major problems you face
throughout the South China Sea. We have at least 300 Chinese
leisure vote operating contested waters every day of
the year -- militia votes. Enter the 2016 ruling, the
tribunal found China's vessels had moved in a dangerous manner
causing serious risk of militia. The Chinese government
refers to Scarborough Shoal... .
Filipinos are fighting for control of what they defined as
the West Philippine Sea. Under President Rodrigo Duterte,
relations with the US have deteriorated. Following into
question the alliance. His Foreign Minister may have told
Beijing to F off but in the past the president has made no
bones about steering the country towards closer ties
with China.
The president recently said he does not respect the 2016
arbitration ruling that handed his country a legal victory
over China.
This representative is a member of the left wing opposition.
The moment the president of the Philippines as he will throw
into the trashcan, that could be used by China to justify its
encroachment of the South China Sea so far but is this really
dangerous on the part of the president to disavow or at
least set aside a decision that is really a major victory not
just for the Philippines but for other countries that are
being trampled upon by China in the South China Sea stop
President Duterte secretary for foreign affairs denies Chinese
financial aid influences Philippine foreign policy.
It is our final day at sea. In the last year, Filipina
fishermen from the province closes to Scarborough Shoal
have lost an estimated 70% of the income because of the
blocade of the lagoon. According to the Federation of
fishermen.
This is a fishing town. This couple used to own a living
fishing but stopped when they were harassed by the Chinese
authorities Scarborough Shoal. Now they work here at the
market.
What is your message to those fishermen who say they are out
of pocket because of the incursion in Scarborough Shoal?
They are not just worried about financial support but also the
prospect of conflict between superpower nations playing out
on their doorstep.
The reasons behind China's combative action in the South
China Sea is unclear, whether the motive is national
resources, fish, oil and gas or to protect themselves from
invasion, come to traumatic heads will be needed to prevent
escalation and a conflict that is in nobody's interest.