The People's Republic of China warned the Philippines not to "provoke or stir up trouble" after the Philippine Coast Guard removed a floating barrier in the southeast entrance of Bajo de Masinloc also known as Scarborough Shoal.
In a regular press briefing Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said "China's resolved in safeguarding its sovereignty and maritime interests over Huangyan Island is unwavering."
"We urge the Philippines not to make provocations or seek trouble," Wang Wenbin said after the Philippine government stood against China's actions in Scarborough Shoal, otherwise known as Bajo de Masinloc.
The Chinese official admitted the floating barriers were installed on Huangyan Island—referring to Scarborough Shoal by its Chinese name—to "block and drive away" Philippine vessels.
Wang Wenbin has accused the Philippines of intruding shoal "without permission."
"On September 22, a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines, without China's permission, intruded into the adjacent waters of Huangyan Dao and attempted to enter its lagoon," he said.
Wang Wenbin insisted that Scarborough Shoal "has always been China's territory."
"China has indisputable sovereignty over the island and its adjacent waters and sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters," he added.
China has been claiming over almost all of the 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea, as well as most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles away from China's mainland.
Wang Wenbin justified China Coast Guard's move to "block and drive away" the Philippine vessel saying "the steps it took were professional and restrained."
The Philippine officials condemned China's putting of floating barriers in the shoal as it prevented Filipino fisherfolk from entering and fishing "in its traditional fishing ground" in the West Philippine Sea.