Philippines says fishermen hurt, boats damaged by China in South China Sea

Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef and the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal, lies in the Philippine exclusive economic zone 150 kilometres (95 miles) west of Palawan province.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a waterway carrying more than $3 trillion of annual commerce. The areas it claims cut into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that Beijing's sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by Himani Sarkar and William Mallard)