IN just a matter of two days, the number of Chinese vessels loitering inside the 200-nautical mile Philippine exclusive economic zone has increased from 165 on September 1 to 203 – the highest this year, says the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Citing its own data, AFP said that it has monitored 165 Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels, 24 China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, 12 People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships, and two research vessels hovering the disputed maritime region referred to as the West Philippine Sea.
The Chinese vessels were strategically deployed in the West Philippine Sea features which include the Bajo de Masinloc which has six CCGs, one PLAN, eight CMMs, and one research vessel; the Ayungin Shoal with eight CCGs, and one PLAN, 17 CMMs; the Pagasa Island with one CCG, one PLAN, and 50 CMMs; the Kota Island with one CMM; the Rizal Reef which has one research vessel, the Escoda Shoal with nine CCGs, nine PLANs, and 53 CMMs; and finally the Iroquois Reef which has 36 CMMs.
Interestingly, China has concentrated the most number of ships in Escoda Shoal, where recent aggressive actions by China were reported.
Over the weekend, the Philippine government reported that a CCG vessel “intentionally rammed the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal.
On August 26, CCG ships blocked two PCG vessels on a rotation and reprovisioning mission to the BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal. A day before that, CCG vessels rammed and used a water cannon on the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Sanday near Escoda Shoal.
On August 19, CCG vessels also had collisions with PCG vessels near Escoda while the latter were on their way to deliver supplies to Patag and Lawak Islands.
More incidents involving China and the Philippines were reported in other WPS features in the past weeks.
Despite talks, tensions have escalated amid China’s aggressive moves to strengthen its massive claim in the South China Sea, including the 200-nautical mile Philippine exclusive economic zone.
The South China Sea is a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce.
Aside from the Philippines, China has overlapping claims in the area with Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had “no legal basis.” China has not recognized the decision. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
