CNA Insider – 13-7-2023

The South China Sea is a crucial waterway in Asia – and a source of regional tensions. Without a code of conduct, Filipinos living in or near disputed waters say they are being impacted by overlapping territorial claims.

Near Scarborough Shoal, fishermen are struggling to eke out a living, as they cannot easily enter some fishing grounds. A tour to the Spratly Islands shows how tensions are playing out, with radio challenges and the constant presence of vessels from some claimant states.

Thitu Island, also known as Pagasa – meaning “hope” – is a crucial outpost for the Philippines in the Spratlys. But infrastructure is limited; and while there are plans to ramp up the building of facilities, this also means pressure on the marine ecosystem, in a region where conflicting claims risk overshadowing the need for marine conservation. CNA Correspondent travels to the contested waters of the South China Sea to find out how the dispute is affecting the Philippines and its people

0:00 Introduction
0:48 Fishing challenges in Scarborough Shoal
6:58 Tourism in trouble at Spratly Islands?
15:25 Limited infrastructure on remote outpost
18:52 Amid conflicting claims, hope for marine protection?