Number of China vessels rose slightly in West Philippine Sea
Photo by Ted Aljibe/Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — There is a slight increase of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea, but still lower than the previous record-high numbers in May, a navy spokesperson said on Tuesday.
From July 9 to July 15, there were a total of 104 China Coast Guard (CCG) ships, People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) warships, and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels.
This was 10 vessels more compared to the previous monitoring period or from July 2 to 8, when only 94 of them were recorded.
READ: West Philippine Sea: China’s ‘monster ship’ leaves Escoda Shoal – Navy
“That’s only a very slight increase compared to the previous month,” said Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, in a regular press briefing in Philippine Air Force headquarters.
The highest number of Chinese vessels were recorded from May 14 to May 20, when a total of 153 ships and warships of CCG and PLA-N, respectively, were recorded.
READ: Chinese warships presence in West Philippine Sea doubles
Beijing’s instances of swarming there is based on its assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the exclusive economic zone of the country’s western section, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by the arbitral award issued in July 2016.
BCM?
Trinidad, nevertheless, noted that it is still early to say that the stable number this latest monitoring period is due to the recent Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) between Manila and Beijing made to deescalate the situation after the violent June 17 situation in Ayungin Shoal which led to what the Philippine military deem as “looting” of its disassembled high-powered guns and even caused the thumb amputation of one of its naval personnel.
“If ever this is related to the BCM talks, it still remains to be seen,” he noted.
Of the 104 vessels, most of them were spotted in Pagasa (Thitu) Island with one CCG ship and 33 CMM vessels.
Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, which is the major flashpoint of tensions in the West Philippine Sea, saw one PLA-N warship, 12 CMM vessels, and three CCG vessels during this latest monitoring period.
Six CMM vessels and three CCG vessels were also spotted in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also one of the tension hotspots between Manila and Beijing.
As per Navy’s fresh data, no Chinese vessels were monitored in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, as CCG’s “monster ship” already left in the area where Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua maintains a presence.
Trinidad, meanwhile, said the navy vows to continue to assert its sovereign rights without escalating the situation.
“We will ensure that our actions are not escalatory,” Trinidad said, noting that the navy follows international law and its rules of engagement.
“We have never been escalatory in our actions,” he also said. “The Chinese communist party’s actions in the West Philippine Sea have always been escalatory.”
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