China Coast Guard chases away fishermen after Philippine patrol vessel withdraws from disputed shoal

The Chinese Coast Guard drove away Filipino fishermen from disputed fishing grounds in the South China Sea.

Video shows the anglers retreating on wooden boats as they were surrounded by looming China Coast Guard seacraft in the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, just 120 nautical miles off the Philippine island of Luzon, on September 25.

The fishermen in the video were heard saying: 'We are so pitiful, we can't catch anything. President (Marcos), please hear our cries.'

The shoal is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino villagers who have complained of poor catches as Beijing ramped up Chinese presence in the contested territory.

In a meeting with the fishermen on September 24, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said: 'That's a sad truth of what's happening in Bajo de Masinloc. It is an open book that we have a very limited number of assets so it is not 24/7 that the Coast Guard will be there, but we are always strategically deploying our best.'

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said a record 251 Chinese vessels were located in the West Philippine Sea - the parts of the South China Sea belonging to the Philippine exclusive economic zone.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said: 'This is the biggest increase we recorded, from 157 to 251. What their reasons are, I don't want to speculate on that. We continue monitoring, we continue performing our mandate.'

He added that the surge happened after bad weather caused by storms churning across the South China Sea.

The Chinese armada also swarmed the area following the departure of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the largest ship in the PCG's arsenal, from the Escoda Shoal on September 15. The crew had endured weeks with barely any food and water after Chinese vessels allegedly blocked Philippine resupply missions.

Expansionist China currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.

The Communist rogue state - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.