China 'allows' Philippine fishermen to enter Scarborough Shoal
Kyodo reported that on November 20, the Philippine Presidential Information Office issued a statement saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured President Rodrigo Duterte that Beijing would continue to allow Philippine fishermen access to the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
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| Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Source: THX/TTXVN) |
According to the above statement, at the meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima (Peru) on November 19, the two leaders discussed the situation of Philippine fishermen.
The statement said: "The Chinese leader pledged that (Philippine) fishermen will continue to have free access to their traditional fishing grounds."
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| Filipino fishermen. (Photo for illustration purposes only: thecoraltriangle.com) |
In early 2012, China took control of Scarborough Shoal and deployed naval and coast guard vessels to prevent Philippine fishermen from operating in the rich fishing grounds there.
However, after Mr. Duterte's visit to China last month, Chinese coast guard ships suddenly left the areas adjacent to this shoal and allowed fishermen to return here./.
According to Vietnam+
