MANILA (Updated) -- Chinese coast guard ships have rescued two Filipino fishermen in bad weather at a disputed shoal, the Philippine coast guard said Friday, in a show of how President Rodrigo Duterte has turned once-frosty relations with Beijing.
Philippine coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said Chinese coast guard officials notified them of the rescue in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines and asked how the two can be handed over to Philippine authorities.
The Philippines sent a newly acquired patrol ship from Japan, the BRP Tubbataha, but vessel could not immediately link up with the Chinese coast guard ships because of large waves in the high seas off Scarborough, Balilo said.
"This shows you that rescuing people at sea is beyond such conflicts," he said.
China seized the shoal in 2012 after a tense territorial standoff with Philippine government ships, and Chinese coast guard had blocked Filipinos from fishing there, prompting the Philippine government to bring the dispute to international arbitration.
An international tribunal in The Hague ruled in July that China has violated the rights of Filipino fishermen when it blocked them from the rich fishing area. The tribunal also invalidated China's sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea. Beijing refused to take part in the proceedings, saying the tribunal has no jurisdiction in territorial disputes.
Duterte, who took office in June, has taken steps to repair relations with Beijing. After he met President Xi Jinping on a state visit to China in October, Filipinos were allowed back to fish near the shoal. The Philippine coast guard said it has also resumed patrols in the disputed waters. (AP)