Sweeping a newfound flare-up over disputed waters, China’s Southern Theatre Navy is accusing the Philippines of intruding illegally into that contested Scarborough Shoal area of the South China Sea. According to an official statement released late on Sunday, a Philippine navy frigate has ‘illegally entered’ the Chinese territorial waters on April 20, ‘seriously infringing the sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea of China,’ it said.
China stated that its forces closely monitored the ship and adopted measures to push it away, urging the Philippines to “immediately stop provocations and infringement activities.” Beijing’s position on defending what it refers to as its “inherent sovereignty” over the shoal was maintained in the statement.
The Scarborough Shoal—about 120 miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon—has for a long time been a point of contention between the two countries. Both countries claim possessions of the seas, with the Philippines asserting it belong within its Exclusive Economic Zone under international law. 
There have been no official comments so far from the Philippine embassy in Beijing.
This recent case is part of series of recent maritime confrontations in the area, where the Chinese Coast Guard’s ships had previously employed water cannons and blocking tactics to assert control.
The adage regional analysts say, that ongoing standoff could get regional trips tense, escalating to a wider geopolitical clash, drawing in international powers that have a stake in the freedom of South China Sea navigation.
World marks as demands rise for diplomatic defusing.
