China and Philippines end fishing standoff

The last five Chinese fishing boats at the centre of a dangerous impasse between China and the Philippines have left a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, diffusing the standoff, officials say. A spokesman for the Philippine department of foreign affairs, Raúl Hernández, confirmed that the boats had left Scarborough Shoal off the north-western Philippines. He said the Philippine foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, and the Chinese ambassador, Ma Keqing, were continuing to talk to find a permanent solution to the Scarborough issue. Both countries claim the uninhabited, horseshoe-shaped shoal, which lies 140 miles (230km) from Zambales province, the nearest Philippine coast. The impasse began on Tuesday when Chinese ships prevented the Philippine navy from detaining Chinese fishermen allegedly caught poaching endangered corals, giant clams and live sharks. Eight Chinese fishing boats were initially seen in the area, but the number increased to 12 at one point, said Lieutenant General Anthony Alcantara, the regional military commander. The last five vessels left the area on Friday night along with a Chinese fisheries law enforcement ship after talks between the two countries' diplomats, he said. The other boats had pulled out earlier. A Chinese maritime survey ship and a Philippine coastguard vessel remain in the area, where Philippine fishing boats are also present, Alcantara said. He said the Chinese boats had apparently left with their catch, which Philippine authorities had earlier wanted to confiscate in accordance with local law. The impasse has reignited concerns about potential conflict in the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest seas lanes and home to myriad competing territorial claims, most notably the Spratly Islands, which are south of the shoal. The disputes have settled into an uneasy standoff since the last major clash, which involved China and Vietnam and killed more than 70 Vietnamese sailors in 1988.