BEIJING: China’s Coast Guard said on Friday it imposed “control measures” on several Philippine vessels that it said were operating illegally in the waters around Scarborough Shoal, as tensions over contested features in the South China Sea rose this week. On Thursday, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard vessel of firing a water cannon at a government fisheries vessel near Scarborough Shoal, with the blast scoring an indirect hit.

(1st UPDATE) The remarks come after protests by both sides this week following a clash between Manila and Beijing in Ayungin Shoal

A Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon at a Philippine government fisheries vessel in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, scoring an indirect hit, a Philippine…