Filipino Fishers Face Aggression from Chinese Coast Guard in Escoda Shoal

Filipino fishermen at Escoda Shoal are reporting intensified encounters with the Chinese Coast Guard, citing obstruction and aggression tactics aimed at keeping them out of the area. In an incident on October 12, a large Chinese vessel reportedly blocked Filipino boats, shined intense lights on them, and deployed speedboats that rammed their vessels, forcing them to retreat. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has since pledged to investigate, while diplomatic friction grows between the Philippines and China over territorial claims and newly enacted maritime laws that assert the Philippines’ exclusive rights within its own economic zone.

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