PCG reports China's latest harassment near Scarborough Shoal, disputes Beijing's account

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July 17, 2025 | 3:33pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard has accused the China Coast Guard of tailing and obstructing a patrolling Philippine vessel near Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) in the West Philippine Sea in a statement that disputes China's version of the incident. 

"The Philippine Coast Guard categorically rejects the unfounded claims made by the People’s Republic of China regarding the incident near Bajo de Masinloc on July 15, 2025," PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said in a statement on Thursday, July 17.

Tarriela said BRP Teresa Magbanua was "lawfully conducting a maritime patrol" within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), rejecting a Chinese state media report that accused the Philippine vessel of deliberately provoking China Coast Guard ships.

He was specifically responding to a Global Times article claiming that Teresa Magbanua repeatedly made "high-speed crossings astern" of CCG vessels, coming as close as 100 meters and supposedly endangering their safety.

But the PCG's account of the incident shared on Thursday said it was the CCG vessels that endangered Teresa Magbanua by blocking its path and making dangerous maneuvers. 

The China Coast Guard vessels were "operating unlawfully in these waters, aggressively obstructing our navigation route by speeding up and dangerously crossing close to our vessel in an attempt to intimidate and harass our personnel," Tarriela said. 

"The CCG’s bullying tactics are part of a recurring pattern of coercion, as they encroach into the Philippines’ EEZ, jeopardizing navigation safety and infringing upon our maritime jurisdiction," the PCG spokesperson added.

Tarriela stressed that the Philippine patrol was conducted to "safeguard Filipino fishermen and uphold our sovereign rights" in the area "without resorting to aggression." He also said the PCG would continue documenting such incidents for the international community.

China seized control of Scarborough Shoal after a tense stand-off with the Philippines in 2012, which has since made the feature a major flashpoint in the contested waters.

The shoal is located within the West Philippine Sea — the part of the South China Sea that overlaps with the Philippines' EEZ.

It sits just 240 kilometers from the Philippines' main island of Luzon — yet nearly 900 kilometers from China's nearest major landmass, Hainan.

Beijing claims virtually the entire South China Sea, dismissing claims from the Philippines and other nations while defying a 2016 international tribunal that nullified its so-called nine-dash line.