On May 16, a number of Philippine vessels illegally gathered in the waters near China's Scarborough Shoal to carry out activities unrelated to normal fishery operations, and the Chinese Coast Guard strengthened on-site surveillance and evidence collection. Philippine ships posed for photos of each other, displaying "this is ours" flags and concocting so-called "declaration of sovereignty" activities.
A number of Philippine non-governmental organizations illegally gathered about 60 nautical miles east of China's Scarborough Shoal to take pictures and videos, and Philippine official ships accompanied them and acted as "bodyguards." The Philippine side put on a show at the scene by supplying fishing boats, fishing with nets, displaying flags, etc., and the China Coast Guard conducted on-site control over Philippine vessels illegally gathering in accordance with the law. The Philippine vessel carried a number of media personnel and carried out photo and video activities. The Chinese Coast Guard is conducting on-site control of Philippine vessels illegally intruding into the waters adjacent to China's Scarborough Shoal.