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Chinese fishermen jailed in Philippines, catch worldwide attention
| Details |
 Map: tianditu.cn | Time: around 10 am on May 6 Location: near China's Half Moon Shoal in the South China Sea Incident: Qiongqionghai 09063 and another fishing boat Qiongqionghai 03168 were intercepted by an unidentified armed vessel. Armed men forced onto Qiongqionghai 09063 and fired four or five shots in the air. 11 Chinese fishermen were detained by Philippine police. |
| Latest News |
Philippine court charges 9 of 11 nabbed Chinese fishermen
Nine out of the 11 Chinese fishermen arrested by local police last Tuesday near China's Half Moon Shoal in the South China Sea were formally charged by the Palawan Regional Trial Court in western Philippines on May 12.
Nabbed Chinese fishermen to be under Philippine police inquest
The 11 Chinese fishermen detained by Philippine police on May 6 near China's Half Moon Shoal in the South China Sea is to undergo an inquest proceedings on May 12 at the Puerto Princesa City prosecutor's office.
| Reactions |
| Philippines Says Poaching Arrests Not Aimed at China |
| Philippines Says Poaching Arrests Not Aimed at China |
| Comments |
Global Times
US support no use for Manila to bluff
We shouldn't draw a simple conclusion that China and the US will engage in a hot war if Washington gets fully involved in this area. It's too naïve a judgment, as what the Philippines and Japan are aiming at is to turn their conflicts with China into a direct confrontation between China and the US. Such change is unlikely to happen in post-Cold War international relations.
Xinhua News Agency
The Philippines was well aware the arrest would have a negative impact on Sino-Philippines relations. Despite their own foreign affairs department commenting that it "does not intend to escalate tensions with China," the government deliberately pressed ahead. This provocative act will have a negative effect on future peace and cooperation among South China Sea nations. It will not find support from surrounding countries and will ultimately isolate the Philippines.
People.com.cn
Wang Xiaopeng, an expert in maritime and border studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The Philippines has filed an arbitration case, including a 4,000-page long submission to the UN in 2013, in an attempt to deny China's legitimate right to its territory in the South China Sea, including the nine-dash line. The Philippines detained the Chinese fishermen in order to bolster this case.
In addition, the Philippine government keeps attempting to involve the greater international community in the South China Sea dispute. The government is seeking to gain support not only from other countries caught in land disputes with China in the region, but also from powerful countries. The Philippines intends to use the incident as a ploy to maintain their claim of the "disputed state."
During Obama's visit to the Philippines in April, the US and Philippines further enhanced their military ties. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) was signed by US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin hours before Obama's arrival in Manila. The Philippines further provokes China by purposefully choosing this month to conduct their annual joint military drills with the US, in the hopes of further engaging their military ally in the dispute.
PLA Daily
There is concern as to the Aquino administration continues to deliberately incite nationalistic sentiment and provoke China over the disputed islands instead of addressing more pressing domestic issues such as poverty and political unrest.
The oil and gas resources of those islands have already been exploited by Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), whose president is the Philippine army's former chief of staff.
The basis of cooperation between the Aquino administration and the military is mutual benefit. For a country with a history of military coups, winning support of the armed forces is crucial for the Aquino administration.
| Detained Fishermen |
| Name | Age | Sex | Positon | Birth place |
| Chen Yiquan | 38 | Male | Captain | Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province |
| Chen Zehao | 64 | Male | Chief engineer | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| Shi Xianxiong | 48 | Male | First mate | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| Huang Jixuan | 49 | Male | Second engineer | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| He Zhuang | 29 | Male | Crew | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| He Cun | 24 | Male | Crew | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| Shi Liangdong | 24 | Male | Crew | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| He Shengbao | 41 | Male | Crew | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| He Yuancheng | 32 | Male | Crew | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| Lu Chuanfang | 44 | Male | Crew | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| Li Xianghui | 19 | Male | Crew | Zhuhai, Guangdong |
| Graphic |
| Half Moon Shoal |
 Photo: guancha.cn | Half Moon Shoal China's inherent territory Location: 8°54′N, 116°17′E Size: 5.5 kilometers long, about 2 kilometers wide |
1987: China set up a monument to claim sovereignty of Half Moon Shoal. 1987: China's Nansha Scientific Investigation Team conducted a comprehensive investigation on the Nansha Islands. The team marked 10 coral reefs in the northeast part of the archipelago, including Half Moon Shoal, and set up 167 observation sites on Nansha Islands. March, 1995: The Philippine army destroyed the Chinese monument and erected their own. April 2006: A Chinese fishing boat was stranded after it struck a reef near Half Moon Shoal. July 11 2012: The frigate stranded in the waters around the Half Moon Shoal of Nansha Islands managed to refloat on its own with the assistance of the Chinese navy's rescue force. | |
| Photos |
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