Reuters: China with ships and barriers blocks access to the disputed Scarborough shoal

The satellite photos taken on April 10 and 11 by Vantor, formerly Maxar Technologies, show 4 fishing boats and a Chinese warship or coastguard guarding the entrance to the shoal, and a floating barrier was besides extended there," explains Reuters.

A spokesperson for Philippine Coast defender Jay Tarriela confirmed the presence of China's long barrier of over 350 m. "Six ships of the Chinese naval militia were sighted in the area of the shoal, and 3 outside it, seemingly blocking the entrance to the BDM [Bajo de Masinloc, Filipino name Scarborough – PAP]," he added. The Chinese naval militia consists of civilian fishing vessels working on behalf of and under the control of the Chinese armed forces.

A spokesperson for the Philippine Navy, in turn, reported that between 5 and 12 April, 10 ships of the Chinese Coast defender were seen in the area.

According to the authorities in Manila, the Chinese side has already removed the floating barrier, but the Philippine Navy patrols are continuing.

Scarborough is simply a fish-rich fishery which is entirely located in the exclusive economical region of the Philippines. Beijing, which took control of it in fact after the 2012 incident, considers it to be its territory, ignoring the ruling of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration, which considered that China could not claim rights to that water.

The situation in the disputed waters has been tense for years. In consequence to China's increasing presence, the Philippines is stepping up military cooperation with the United States, their key ally.