China said on Monday the situation at the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the South China Sea “has not changed and will not change,” after the Philippines said Chinese vessels that blocked the area for four years had stopped harassing its fishermen. Philippine security officials on Sunday said China had scaled down its maritime presence at the shoal since President Duterte’s return from a visit to Beijing aimed at patching up ties and courting investment. The disputed territory is significant not only for fishing, but for the broader balance of power in the South China Sea, and the circumstances behind China’s apparent softening of its position are not clear.

Beijing: Situation in Panatag unchanged. (2016, November 2). The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 12.