Philippines Protests China’s ‘Illicit’ Warnings, Coast Guard Conduct

Philippines Protests China’s ‘Illicit’ Warnings, Coast Guard Conduct
China Coast Guard vessels patrol past Philippine fishing boats at the disputed Scarborough Shoal on April 5, 2017. Erik De Castro/Reuters
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MANILA—The Philippines has lodged a diplomatic protest over what it said was China’s illegal confiscation of fish aggregating devices from Filipino fisherman in a disputed lagoon held by Beijing in the South China Sea.

The Philippine foreign ministry said the incident happened three months ago at the Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing site seized by Beijing in 2012 after a standoff that prompted an unprecedented international legal challenge by Manila.