The Scarborough Shoal standoff refers to the tensions between the
Republic of the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
over the disputed
Scarborough Shoal
Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc (in Spanish), Panatag Shoal ( fil, Kulumpol ng Panatag, lit=serene cluster), Huangyan Island ( Mandarin zh, c=黄岩岛, p=Huáng Yán Dǎo, l=yellow rock island), and Democracy Reef, are two ...
. Tensions began on April 8, 2012, after the attempted apprehension by the
Philippine Navy of eight mainland Chinese fishing vessels near the shoal.
Overview
The
Scarborough Shoal
Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc (in Spanish), Panatag Shoal ( fil, Kulumpol ng Panatag, lit=serene cluster), Huangyan Island ( Mandarin zh, c=黄岩岛, p=Huáng Yán Dǎo, l=yellow rock island), and Democracy Reef, are two ...
is claimed by the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and
China. On April 8, 2012, a
Philippine Navy surveillance plane spotted eight Chinese fishing vessels anchored in the waters of Scarborough shoal. ''
BRP Gregorio del Pilar'' was sent on the same day by the Philippine Navy to survey the vicinity of the shoal, and confirmed the presence of the fishing vessels and their ongoing activities. On April 10, 2012, ''BRP Gregorio del Pilar'' came to inspect the catch of the fishing vessels. The Filipino inspection team claimed that they discovered illegally collected
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...
s,
giant clam
The giant clams are the members of the clam genus '' Tridacna'' that are the largest living bivalve mollusks. There are actually several species of "giant clams" in the genus '' Tridacna'', which are often misidentified for ''Tridacna gigas'', ...
s, and live
shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...
s inside the first vessel boarded by the team. ''BRP Gregorio del Pilar'' reported that they attempted to arrest the Chinese fishermen but were blocked by Chinese maritime surveillance ships,
China Marine Surveillance 75 (''Zhongguo Haijian 75'') and
China Marine Surveillance 84 (''Zhongguo Haijian 84''). Since then, tensions have continued between the two countries.
Reactions and related incidents
* In 2012, an unsuccessful call was made in the Philippines to
boycott goods
made in China
Made in China, Product of China or sometimes Made in PRC is a country of origin label affixed to products manufactured in the People's Republic of China. The ''Made in China'' label is the most recognizable label in the world today, due t ...
by the