15529 11895 36343 3969 37947 31002 20309 19673 2912 38009 29399 37121 30997 34669 40028 7585 19267 19718 2578 26785 3554 11435 31908 14355 30857 32068 43553 37732 16672 16411 34408 42366 5677 3888 3323 36748 26758 43669 1815 41331 3814 25001 42125 807 38604 17550 17262 4058 25624 33224 35850 21806 3643 28520 5369 6267 38695 3040 22306 5168 41210 36789 23932 17788 35273 38007 27032 29517 44296 30693 35511 14105 22437 27704 1544 35573 6142 14598 33888 28463 14122 2919 29994 5481 23352 19413 37002 14535 7455 40226 8202 30713 9493 31892 8470 21875 2078 41942 25493 6304 32031 23117 17972 7677 13683 16892 8330 17640 7490 36680 4792 38847 19539 16014 42005 34816 30678 11700 37859 43749 24721 38321 38036 31429 6584 42463 42170 5591 40865 19345 24642 28583 38803 11932 23309 7700 4343 4715 2766 4837 14465 12212 1286 33923 8859 37115 30057 2247 14897 3324 36194 22090 38319 36715 10317 28684 13856 19774 5105 32543 10773 27909 1125 32344 10788 42930 43185 21654 31336 21927 16752 20391 28567 43370 11841 24944 1838 2329 25196 26712 1601 29478 21187 41498 23516 42558 25743 22964 10693 280 39584 19124 20452 28660 23619 22517 10037 37630 24450 2837 8Hong Kong (CNN) -- The Philippines said Wednesday that its largest naval vessel is engaged in a standoff with two Chinese maritime surveillance ships in a remote lagoon in the South China Sea. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the country's navy had sent the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, a 378-foot cutter, to the area of Scarborough Shoal on Sunday after surveillance aircraft spotted eight Chinese fishing boats anchored inside the lagoon. China and the Philippines both claim that Scarborough Shoal, about 200 kilometers west of the Philippine mainland, is "an integral part" of their territory. A boarding team from the Gregorio del Pilar went to inspect the Chinese fishing boats Tuesday morning and found "large amounts of illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks" inside one of the boats, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Later Tuesday, the Gregorio del Pilar reported that the two Chinese surveillance ships had arrived and taken up a position at the mouth of the lagoon, blocking the way to the fishing boats and "preventing the arrest" of the fishermen. The situation remained the same Wednesday morning, the Philippine statement said. The Philippine foreign minister, Albert Del Rosario, is seeking a "diplomatic solution" to the situation with China, the statement said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila has complained to the Philippine authorities about "the harassment of Chinese fishermen," China's official news agency reported Wednesday. China has "urged the Philippine side to stop immediately their illegal activities and leave the area," Xinhua reported, saying that the fishermen were taking shelter in the lagoon "due to harsh weather conditions." The embassy is "still engaged in discussions with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs to seek a solution" and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, Xinhua said. The South China Sea -- a 1.3 million square mile patch of the Pacific Ocean bracketed by China and several Southeast Asian nations -- is dotted with hundreds of largely uninhabited islands and coral atolls that are home to some of the world's most diverse marine life. Also under its waves lie potentially huge reserves of natural gas and oil. That prospect has peppered the sea with competing claims from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. It has also resulted in frequent small-scale clashes. Last year, a spate of incidents took place between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels.
China, Philippines locked in naval standoff
15529 11895 36343 3969 37947 31002 20309 19673 2912 38009 29399 37121 30997 34669 40028 7585 19267 19718 2578 26785 3554 11435 31908 14355 30857 32068 43553 37732 16672 16411 34408 42366 5677 3888 3323 36748 26758 43669 1815 41331 3814 25001 42125 807 38604 17550 17262 4058 25624 33224 35850 21806 3643 28520 5369 6267 38695 3040 22306 5168 41210 36789 23932 17788 35273 38007 27032 29517 44296 30693 35511 14105 22437 27704 1544 35573 6142 14598 33888 28463 14122 2919 29994 5481 23352 19413 37002 14535 7455 40226 8202 30713 9493 31892 8470 21875 2078 41942 25493 6304 32031 23117 17972 7677 13683 16892 8330 17640 7490 36680 4792 38847 19539 16014 42005 34816 30678 11700 37859 43749 24721 38321 38036 31429 6584 42463 42170 5591 40865 19345 24642 28583 38803 11932 23309 7700 4343 4715 2766 4837 14465 12212 1286 33923 8859 37115 30057 2247 14897 3324 36194 22090 38319 36715 10317 28684 13856 19774 5105 32543 10773 27909 1125 32344 10788 42930 43185 21654 31336 21927 16752 20391 28567 43370 11841 24944 1838 2329 25196 26712 1601 29478 21187 41498 23516 42558 25743 22964 10693 280 39584 19124 20452 28660 23619 22517 10037 37630 24450 2837 8Hong Kong (CNN) -- The Philippines said Wednesday that its largest naval vessel is engaged in a standoff with two Chinese maritime surveillance ships in a remote lagoon in the South China Sea. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the country's navy had sent the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, a 378-foot cutter, to the area of Scarborough Shoal on Sunday after surveillance aircraft spotted eight Chinese fishing boats anchored inside the lagoon. China and the Philippines both claim that Scarborough Shoal, about 200 kilometers west of the Philippine mainland, is "an integral part" of their territory. A boarding team from the Gregorio del Pilar went to inspect the Chinese fishing boats Tuesday morning and found "large amounts of illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks" inside one of the boats, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Later Tuesday, the Gregorio del Pilar reported that the two Chinese surveillance ships had arrived and taken up a position at the mouth of the lagoon, blocking the way to the fishing boats and "preventing the arrest" of the fishermen. The situation remained the same Wednesday morning, the Philippine statement said. The Philippine foreign minister, Albert Del Rosario, is seeking a "diplomatic solution" to the situation with China, the statement said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila has complained to the Philippine authorities about "the harassment of Chinese fishermen," China's official news agency reported Wednesday. China has "urged the Philippine side to stop immediately their illegal activities and leave the area," Xinhua reported, saying that the fishermen were taking shelter in the lagoon "due to harsh weather conditions." The embassy is "still engaged in discussions with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs to seek a solution" and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, Xinhua said. The South China Sea -- a 1.3 million square mile patch of the Pacific Ocean bracketed by China and several Southeast Asian nations -- is dotted with hundreds of largely uninhabited islands and coral atolls that are home to some of the world's most diverse marine life. Also under its waves lie potentially huge reserves of natural gas and oil. That prospect has peppered the sea with competing claims from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. It has also resulted in frequent small-scale clashes. Last year, a spate of incidents took place between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels.