What it's like to taunt the Chinese Coast Guard by sailing the South China Sea

China got a slap on the wrist for its activities in the South China Sea this week.

China has long contended that it has exclusive sovereignty over the majority of the sea. And they've been getting more and more aggressive, carrying out military drills and even building islands on the water.

But on Tuesday, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled that there was no legal basis to China's claims. 

Beijing rejected the ruling, refusing to take it seriously. It's seen as a potentially dangerous escalation of a conflict that's been building for years.

$5 trillion in global trade passes through the waterways of the South China Sea every year. And the ruling was welcomed by the Philippines and other countries around the world.

Sailing towards a confrontation

But while China's actions have been challenged in the courts, few have tried to defy China by actually sailing through those contested waters.

Javier Hernandez set out to change that.

Hernandez is a China correspondent with the New York Times. And last month, he decided to get as close as he could to the conflict in the South China Sea by hiring a boat to take him there.

The crew definitely feared what the Chinese might do.- New York Times reporter Javier Hernandez

As he tells Day 6 guest host Josh Bloch, that wasn't as simple as it might sound.

"It was much more difficult than I expected, partly because the Filipinos who live on the Western coast and are fishing in this area really fear the Chinese," says Hernandez.

Hernandez was trying to get to the Scarborough Shoal, a triangle-shaped atoll about 20 hours off the Philippines' western coast. Known for its rich marine resources, the region is also a key part of China's efforts to establish control over the South China Sea.

Hernandez did eventually find a crew and set sail. But the atmosphere aboard the ship was tense.

"I think the crew definitely feared what the Chinese might do," says Hernandez.

They told these stories of playing cat-and-mouse games in the moonlight, and how Chinese fishermen would come and cut their fishing lines or board their boats and tell them to leave immediately.- New York Times reporter Javier Hernandez

"The Chinese had been known to spray boats with water cannons. They've been known to try to intimidate boats by brandishing their assault rifles that they carry around. So there was definitely a lot of fear among the crew about what might happen."

Tensions on the rise

The intimidation has already deterred many Filipino fishermen from even attempting to reach the Scarorough Shoal.

But Hernandez encountered several Filipino fishing boats on the outskirts of the shoal.

"They told these stories of playing cat-and-mouse games in the moonlight, and how Chinese fishermen would come and cut their fishing lines or board their boats and tell them to leave immediately."

China's dominance in the region has left many Filipinos exasperated, Hernandez says.

"It's really changed the economic picture for many of these people. They're no longer able to pay their bills in some cases or have a comfortable life."

It's not clear exactly what impact this week's ruling will have on China's behaviour around the Scarborough Shoal. But Hernandez says the situation will likely escalate.

"You're likely to see fishermen continue to approach this area, and China being even more bold in turning them away and continuing to defend what it considers its own territory," he says.

To find out what happened when Hernandez reached the Scarborough Shoal, click on the link above to listen to his interview with Day 6 guest host Josh Bloch.