Chinese fishing boats in Philippine seas, could this be strike 3 for China and the Philippines? The two countries again tangled over fishing boats. The People’s Republic of China demanded that the Philippine Government give back the ships that the latter seized from the former. How come? Because the Chinese ships were supposedly in Philippine territorial seas, but strangely enough, of the China Sea. Well, it could be the China Sea but it’s a body of water all over Southeast Asia so it might be a part of the Philippine territorial seas.
But the Chinese Government disagreed. According to Chinese officials, Chinese anglers have been frequenting the challenged area for generations. The Chinese have been rowing their fishing boats in that territory because it is an established angling area. Too bad.
The two nations are also tangling over the Spratly Island because surrounding the island is said to be a terrific haven for doing some fishing. I ought to say that it is because while the Spratly Island is populated by a handful of men and women, it is yet to be declared to be possessed by one country. It doesn’t have an owner, I should say and no less than four countries are battling for it including China and the Philippines.
Spratly Island is reportedly sought after mainly because of its wealth in oil and mineral deposits. But locals of the Island will let you know to take your fishing boats to the region because it is also rich in marine assets.
This is the initial strike between strained relations between the Philippines and China. The second strike was when a cop became a little crazy and took a bus full of Manilla residents hostage. Numerous men and women were murdered on that day. Horrible, terrible day for the Chinese.
Nevertheless, for the residents of Spratly Island, it’s not bad for the Filipinos and Chinese in the region. They have lived as neighbors for a long time and they are 1 community. Too bad that this has to be strained by fishing boats. Those ships could have been very good looking or just plain good for the enterprise of hooking fish.
It is stated that the Chinese boats were taken while the Philippine boat was hanging around the disputed water area when the bigger Philippine boat hit a dinghy being pulled behind by one of the Chinese boats. This alerted Philippine officials on-board and made the necessary procedures returning the fishermen to their home country but leaving behind the valuable fishing boats that mean livelihood.