China expanding bases near Pagasa Island

China has further intensified its militarization of Subi (Zamora) Reef near Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea, a navy official revealed on Tuesday.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said that China has been building additional military structures on the reef, which is part of the Spratly Islands.

“There are new structures, ongoing construction, and heavy equipment present on Subi Reef,” Trinidad said in a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

He expressed concern over China’s expansion of its military base on the reef, where reclamation activities began in 2012.

“China has been militarizing the South China Sea since the early 1990s, starting with fishermen shelters that were later repurposed for marine scientific research, followed by large-scale reclamation in 2011-2013,” Trinidad said.

The official noted that China has continued to expand its military presence, establishing facilities for the People’s Liberation Army Navy, China Coast Guard, and Chinese Maritime Militia.

“We’ve observed ongoing construction and the presence of heavy equipment on Subi Reef,” he said, although he clarified that the reef was outside Philippine territorial waters.

“According to the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, these man-made islands do not generate maritime entitlements,” Trinidad said.

Subi Reef is located outside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but is within its continental shelf, and beyond the 12 nautical miles territorial sea of Pagasa (Thitu) Island, the largest Philippine-held island in the Spratlys.

Chinese ships shadow

Phl-U.S. exercises

In the same press conference, Trinidad said that while the presence of Chinese vessels during Philippine maritime cooperative activities (MCAs) with allied nations in the West Philippine Sea was “not alarming,” it was “dubious.”

“We monitor their presence during these activities. It is not alarming, but their presence is dubious,” Trinidad said.

In January, China Coast Guard and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels were observed shadowing three Philippine Navy ships during a joint maritime air exercise with the US Navy, marking the first Philippine-US MCA of the year.

In February, Chinese vessels again appeared during joint maritime patrols between the US and the Philippines. While they did not engage in illegal activities, a PLAN ship was detected shadowing the participating vessels.

Chinese ships were also noted during a multilateral MCA involving the Philippines, US, Japan, and Australia in September.

Trinidad confirmed that Chinese vessels were present during the MCA between the Philippines and Japan earlier this month, which took place in the Northern Luzon Command area. However, no Chinese ships were observed during the recent MCA between the Philippines and the United States in the Western Command area.

“In the activity with Japan, two PLAN warships were close to our ships, within five to eight nautical miles. They did not interfere with our MCA, however,” Trinidad added.