After the diplomatic and cyber fronts, the tiff between the Philippines and China over Scarborough Shoal may have expanded to the meteorological field, according to a report published in the GMA news, Sunday. China Sunday said it has started issuing weather forecasts for two islands and one reef in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), including the disputed shoal. The Chinese government's Web portal said the meteorological bureau in Hainan started issuing weather forecasts as early as May 16 for Yongxing and Huangyan Islands as well as Yongshu Reef. “It is important to improve weather forecasts for the South China Sea to help ensure the safety of the passing vessels and offshore production,” the Chinese Web portal article quoted Cai Qinbo, director with the Hainan provincial meteorological station, as saying. Huangyan Island is the name China uses to refer to the shoal, which the Philippines refers to as Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. According to the Chinese government portal's news article, the South China Sea is a marine thoroughfare with abundant fishery resources and offshore oil and gas resources. It added the area is also a marine meteorological disasters-prone area with frequent typhoons, sea fog, rainstorms and heavy winds. The weather forecasts were the latest show of “sovereignty” by China over the disputed shoal more than a month after the Philippines and China engaged in a standoff over the area. The standoff stemmed from a Philippine sighting of Chinese fishermen gathering marine species from the area, but Navy crew were blocked by Chinese vessels when they tried to make arrests. Both sides have since tried diplomatic means to resolve the issue. In past weeks, however, the dispute triggered an exchange of cyber-attacks targeting Chinese and Philippine websites. Some Philippine government websites had been defaced while others reported being targeted by denial-of-service attacks.
