were used since the thirteenth century by Chinese fishermen.[6]

The 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff led to a situation where access to the shoal was restricted by the People's Republic of China.[9] However, in 2016, following meetings between the Philippine president Duterte and his PRC counterparts, the PRC allowed Filipino fishermen to access the shoals for fishing.[10]

Land reclamation and other activities in the surrounding area

The shoal and its surrounding area are rich fishing grounds. The atoll's lagoon provides some protection for fishing boats during inclement weather.

There are thick layers of guano lying on the rocks in the area. Several diving excursions and amateur radio operations, DX-peditions (1994, 1995, 1997 and 2007), have been carried out in the area.[11]

At various times between 1951 and 1991, U.S. and Philippine military forces operatingsatellite imagery had shown no signs of any land reclamation, dredging or construction activities in Scarborough shoal.[14] Only one small Chinese civilian ship and two small Filipino trimaran fishing boats (bangkas) were seen, as has been normal for the past few years.[15]

In September 2016 during the ASEAN summit, the Philippine government claimed that a number of Chinese ships capable of land reclamation had collected at Scarborough shoal. This claim was denied by the PRC government.[16]

Also in September 2016, the New York Times reported that PRC activities at the Shoal continued in the form of naval patrols and hydrographic surveys.[17] The PRC navy restricted Filipino fishermen access to the shoal from 2012 until August 2016, at which time PRC authorities started to allow Filipino fishermen to resume fishing in