Filipinos fishing on frontline of 中国's 戦う／戦い for 論争d sea
Beijing's seizure of Scarborough Shoal in the South 中国 Sea has robbed fishermen Filipino fishermen in Cato village of a 重要な source of income
Filipino fisherman Mariel Villamonte had spent years plying the turquoise waters of Scarborough Shoal in the South 中国 Sea for snapper and grouper -- until a Chinese coast guard 大型船 water 大砲d his boat.
That was in 2012, around the time 中国 snatched 支配（する）／統制する of the small （犯罪の）一味 of 暗礁s from the Philippines, and he has not dared go 支援する.
"Their ships are made of steel, ours are made of 支持を得ようと努めるd," said Villamonte, now 31, 解任するing how two Chinese 大型船s chased his outrigger before 爆破ing it with high-圧力 water.
The fishing ground, tapped by 世代s of Filipinos, is one of many 可能性のある flashpoints for 軍の 衝突 over the South 中国 Sea.
中国 and Taiwan both （人命などを）奪う，主張する 主権，独立 over almost the entire sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have competing （人命などを）奪う，主張するs to parts of it.
一兆s of dollars 価値（がある） of ship-borne 貿易（する） passes through the 水路 毎年 and 海軍の 大型船s from the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs and Western 同盟（する）s sail through it 定期的に.
Of all the claimants, 中国 has in 最近の years 軍隊d its 姿勢 most 積極性.
論争d （人命などを）奪う，主張するs in the South 中国 Sea
Hundreds of Chinese coast guard and 海上の 民兵 大型船s prowl the waters, 群れているing 暗礁s, 悩ますing and attacking fishing and other boats, and 干渉するing in oil and gas 探検, and 科学の 研究.
分析家s say Beijing's 目的（とする） is 地域の 最高位 and 支配（する）／統制する over all activity in the waters -- and it is using its might to いじめ（る） smaller 競争相手s into submission.
"They really 想像する themselves to be the centre of this 地域, economically, 政治上 and 軍事的に," said Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines's 学校／設ける for 海上の 事件／事情／状勢s and 法律 of the Sea.
"What they want is that 結局 the 女性 nations 簡単に give up and leave them there just to 避ける a problem."
- 'Chinese Dream' -
中国 often invokes the いわゆる nine-dash line, a vague delineation based on 地図／計画するs from the 1940s, to 正当化する its （人命などを）奪う，主張するs over the South 中国 Sea.
A Philippines coast guard ship (R) sails past a Chinese coast guard ship 近づく Scarborough Shoal in the South 中国 Sea in 2019
The Philippines brought a 事例／患者 before an international 法廷，裁判所 論争ing 中国's 姿勢. The 法廷 支配するd in 2016 that Beijing's （人命などを）奪う，主張するs have no 合法的な basis.
中国 has since ignored the 判決，裁定, and 緊張s with the Philippines 緩和するd after former 大統領，／社長 Rodrigo Duterte 始める，決める aside his country's 合法的な victory and 法廷，裁判所d Chinese 商売／仕事s instead.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who took over from Duterte in June this year, has 誓約（する）d to 支持する the 法廷，裁判所 決定／判定勝ち（する） and 主張するd he would not let 中国 trample on Manila's 海上の 権利s.
But in the １０年間 under 大統領 Xi Jinping, who is 推定する／予想するd to 安全な・保証する a 記録，記録的な／記録する third 連続した 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 in office this month, 中国 has 劇的な 拡大するd its presence in the sea.
Xi's 願望（する） for 支配（する）／統制する of the waters is not about fish or 化石 燃料s, said Greg 政治家ing, director of the US-based Asia 海上の Transparency 率先 (AMTI).
His main 客観的なs are realising the "Chinese Dream" of 国家の rejuvenation -- Xi's 見通し of 回復するing the country to perceived past glory -- and 安全な・保証するing his political legitimacy.
政治家ing said 世代s of Chinese leaders had made ますます "absurd" （人命などを）奪う，主張するs to the sea, leaving Xi with no choice but to "主張する （人命などを）奪う，主張するs to everything".
衛星 images published by AMTI show 中国's land-reclamation 成果／努力s in the waters have vastly outstripped those of all other claimants 連合させるd.
Since 2013, it has ripped up 概略で 6,000 ヘクタールs (15,000 acres) of 暗礁 to create about 1,300 ヘクタールs of new land for 人工的な islands in the Spratly 群島, said 政治家ing.
The militarised islands -- 完全にする with 滑走路s, ports, and レーダ systems -- enable Chinese 大型船s to patrol as far south as Indonesia and Malaysia.
Apart from destroying fish 産む／飼育するing grounds and smothering 海洋 life with sediment, 専門家s say Beijing's 活動／戦闘s contravene international 法律.
Under the 1982 国際連合 条約 on the 法律 of the Sea, which 中国 helped 交渉する, countries have 排除的 権利s to natural 資源s within about 200 航海の miles of their shore.
中国's （人命などを）奪う，主張するs 延長する as far as a thousand 航海の miles, which 政治家ing said was "wildly inconsistent" with the 法律.
"The 支配するs that 保護するd 中国 as a developing 沿岸の 明言する／公表する now seem like an 不公平な 強制 on a 中国 that believes that it should be able to 課す its will on its 隣人s," he said.
- 'どろぼう in your backy ard' -
中国's seizure of Scarborough Shoal has robbed Villamonte and other fishermen in Cato village, in the northern 州 of Pangasinan, of a 重要な source of income.
乗組員 members 準備する to 負担 small boats to their fishing 'mother' boat before 長，率いるing into the South 中国 Sea
Their families began fishing there in the 1980s when bigger boats enabled them to make the 500-kilometre 一連の会議、交渉／完成する trip. It was 十分な of fish and 申し込む／申し出d life-saving 避難所 during 嵐／襲撃するs.
Now, the fishermen say they おもに rely on "payaos", floating 装置s that attract yellowfin マグロ, 錨，総合司会者d away from the shoal and left alone by Chinese boats.
After １０年間s of overfishing by countries surrounding the waters, the men have to spend longer at sea and 訴える手段／行楽地 to catching smaller fish.
Even then, they いつかs struggle to break even.
にもかかわらず the 危険s, Filipino fishermen still try to enter the shoal to 最高の，を越す up their catch.
Christopher de Vera, 53, said members of h is 乗組員 have gone inside under the cover of 不明瞭, leaving them feeling like "a どろぼう in your own backyard".
But he said the shallow waters no longer teem with fish after the 珊瑚 was "decimated" by Chinese 巨大（な） clam harvesters.
- 'Worst nightmare' -
中国's growing assertiveness has not been 本気で challenged by Southeast Asian countries 予定 to 深い 分割s over how to 答える／応じる and 恐れる of 報復 if they do, によれば 分析家s.
The 10-member 協会 of Southeast Asian Nations (東南アジア諸国連合) is 分裂（する） between those with の近くに 関係 to 中国, such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, and others that are warier of Beijing.
Their differences have 妨害するd 交渉s between 中国 and 東南アジア諸国連合 for a "code of 行為／行う" that would 治める／統治する behaviour in the sea.
会談 have dragged on for 20 years as Beijing, which prefers to 取引，協定 直接／まっすぐに with its smaller 隣人s, went on an island-building spree.
The 部隊d 明言する／公表するs is 広範囲にわたって seen as the only nation powerful enough to 押し進める 支援する, but there are 関心s about its reliability.
大統領 Joe Biden hosted 東南アジア諸国連合 leaders in May to signal Washington's long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 かかわり合い to the 地域 in the 直面する of 中国's growing clout.
But １０年間s of inconsistent 政策s and perceived neglect of the 地域 have 損失d Washington's image.
"Southeast Asian countries are 簡単に not willing to place their bets on the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs," said Shahriman Lockman of the 学校／設ける of 戦略の and International 熟考する／考慮するs in Malaysia.
中国 has 以前 used deadly 軍隊 to 支援する its （人命などを）奪う，主張するs and its 最近の war games around Taiwan, which it considers part of its own 領土, rang alarm bells across the 地域.
Chinese and Vietnamese 軍隊s engaged in 衝突／不一致s in 1974 and 1988 in which dozens of 軍隊／機動隊s died.
For now, Beijing appears keen to 避ける war while 追求するing its expansionist 運動.
"They are masterful at 避けるing crossing that threshold by 存在 shrill about their protestations, this wolf 軍人 外交, that is designed to 脅迫してさせる and get you to give in without fighting," said John Blaxland, an international 安全 and 知能 専門家 at the Australian 国家の University.
And its 策略 are working.
政治家ing said the sea could become a "Chinese lake" as the growing 危険 and cost of operating there 軍隊s out Southeast Asian fishermen, oil and gas companies and coast guard.
Villamonte used to 定期的に make 6,000 pesos ($105) per trip when he could fish at Scarborough Shoal. Now it can be as little as 2,000 pesos, or nothing at all.
Fishing is all he knows -- his father and grandfather were fishermen -- and his "worst nightmare" is losing 接近 to the 残り／休憩（する） of Philippine waters.
"My family will go hungry," he said.
burs-amj/ser/qan
