The United States State Department expressed belief that China's repeated use of water cannon against Philippine vessels is "detrimental to regional peace and stability".

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Vedant Patel, the US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson also noted that the installation of barriers in Scarborough shoal is a threat to the livelihood of the Filipino fishermen.

"The repeated harassment of Philippine vessels near Scarborough Reef is detrimental to regional peace and stability, and our belief is that the Chinese Coast Guard installation of these barriers also endangers Philippine fisherfolk’s livelihoods and prevents them from exercising their legal rights to fish in those waters," he said.

"These are rights that were set out in 2016 in a final and legally binding judgment in the Philippines-China arbitration brought to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, and consistently ? and this is something that the Secretary made clear on his travels as well ? is that we urge the PRC to respect the navigational rights and freedoms guaranteed to all states under international law," he added.

Patel made his remarks following the recent harassment of Chinese vessels that includes the water cannon by the Chinese Coast Guards that damage the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels patrolling the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.

As part of the maritime patrol, the Philippine government vessels also deployed in the Scarborough Shoal to provide humanitarian assistance to the Filipino fishermen in the area. Robina Asido/DMS