BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s coast guard said on Tuesday that it had “taken control measures” against a number of official Philippine vessels at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, accusing them of “operating illegally.”

Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing calls Huangyan Island and which is known in the Philippines as the Panatag Shoal, has long been a flashpoint in the dispute between Beijing and Manila over sovereignty and fishing access in the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.

The Philippines embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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