China’s harassment destroys PH’s scientific research

(RENEWAL) The Philippines said on Saturday it had suspended scientific research in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) due to “dangerous” harassment by the Chinese navy and coast guard ships and aircraft.

Commo. Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the West Philippine Sea, said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) patrol vessels BRP Datu Pagbuaya and BRP Datu Bankaw encountered dangerous maneuvers by three Coast Guard Vessels on their way to Sandy Cays of China, identified as CCG 4106, 5103 and 4202.

Tarriela said the vessels showed a blatant disregard for the Convention on International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. However, he said, skillful navigation by the BFAR crew prevented any mishaps during these encounters.

SEA BULLY A Chinese vessel (right) blocks a Philippine vessel belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) from conducting surveys off Pag-asa (Titu), the largest Philippine-occupied island in the disputed Spratly chain, on July 25, 2025. SCREENGRAPH FROM THE COAST GUARD OF THE PHILIPPINES

In addition to the aggressive action by the CCG ships, four small boats were deployed to harass two BFAR rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) that were transporting personnel to Sandy Cays.

Tarriela said the situation further escalated when a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) helicopter identified as number 24 hovered dangerously low over the RHIB BFAR.

According to him, the downdraft from the helicopter’s propellers created dangerous conditions, which further threatened the safety of the personnel on board.

Faced with ongoing harassment and increasing security risks, BFAR and PCG were forced to end their scientific mission, Tarriela said.

He said the planned sand sampling and marine survey remained incomplete.

Philippine officials said the Chinese military’s actions violated not only maritime safety rules, but also the spirit of international cooperation in scientific research.

“Such acts of intimidation are unfounded and unacceptable,” they added.

China claims almost the entire disputed waterway, rejecting competing claims from other countries, including the Philippines, and an international arbitration court has ruled that its SCS claims have no legal basis.

In recent months, China has deployed navy and coast guard ships in an effort to block the Philippines from strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

Three Chinese coast guard ships and four smaller boats carried out “aggressive maneuvers” against two BFAR ships and their inflatable boats on Friday near Titu Island (Pag-asa), the Philippine coast guard said in a statement.

The Philippine vessels were carrying scientists who intended to conduct “marine scientific research and sand sampling” on a sandbar off Titu, the largest Philippine-occupied island in the disputed Spratly chain, the coast guard said.

Titu lies approximately 430 kilometers from Palawan and more than 900 kilometers from China’s nearest large land mass, Hainan Island.

The Philippine Coast Guard said a Chinese navy helicopter “hovered at a dangerous height” over the BFAR inflatable boats on Friday, “creating dangerous conditions due to propeller washout.”

“As a result of this continuous harassment and neglect of security by Chinese naval forces,” the Philippine Coast Guard said it and the fisheries agency “unfortunately suspended their survey operations and were unable to collect sand samples” from the unoccupied sandbars near Tito. .

Despite “dangerous collisions”, no accidents occurred, the coast guard added.

China’s foreign ministry and Beijing’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Also on Friday, the same day as the incident off Tito, Philippine forces resupplied and replaced without incident troops manning an abandoned naval vessel stranded on the Second Thomas shoal in the Spratlys, the foreign ministry said.

Manila deliberately grounded a vessel on the reef in 1999 to assert its claim to the territory.

The latest mission marks the fifth successful replenishment of troops stationed on the landed BRP Sierra Madre under the Philippines-China rotation and redeployment arrangement at Ayungin Shoal, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma. Teresita Dasa said.

“This demonstrates that effective diplomacy is taking the lead on West Philippine Sea issues and creating avenues for innovative approaches that help manage the situation without compromising Philippine national interests,” she said.

This month, the Philippine government raised the alarm over Chinese coast guard ships patrolling closer to the main Philippine island of Luzon, calling it a “scare tactic” by Beijing to discourage Philippine fishing.

China has denied the allegations, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying the patrols were “in accordance with the law”.