Chinese Poachers Take Endangered Giant Clams from the Philippines
Chinese fishermen harvested giant clams off the Philippines' Pag-asa (Thitu) Island while Chinese ships sailed close to Burgos (Gaven) Reef, based on photos released by Filipino security forces.
The Philippines is demanding that China pull out its fishing and militia ships out of reefs and outcrops that both countries claim as their own. However, only Manila has the backing of a UN Arbitral Tribunal that invalidated Beijing's vast claims in a landmark ruling in 2016.
On Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs summoned China's ambassdor to Manila on top of daily diplomatic protests.
In one of the photos released by the National Task Force West Philippine Sea, Chinese fishermen were caught harvesting giant clams in the vicinity of Pag-asa, the largest Filipino-occupied feature in the Kalayaan or Spratlys Islands.
In another photo handout, over a hundred Chinese ships were spotted off Burgos (Gaven) Reef.
This story originally appeared on Reportr.World. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
