The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) successfully prevented a Chinese vessel from entering the waters near Zambales, a move seen as a strong stance in safeguarding the country’s territorial rights. The incident occurred as tensions continue to rise in the West Philippine Sea, with China asserting expansive territorial claims through its so-called “nine-dash line.”

According to a senior PCG official, the Chinese vessel, identified as part of China’s coast guard fleet, attempted to approach the Zambales coastline but was intercepted by Philippine forces. The PCG vessel promptly blocked its entry, ensuring the protection of the Philippines’ maritime territory.

The PCG official emphasized that the Chinese vessel’s presence in the area was a direct challenge to Manila’s sovereign rights, particularly in the waters of the West Philippine Sea, which has been the site of escalating disputes over natural resources and maritime boundaries.

“We initially observed the Chinese deployment on January 4, when they deployed the Chinese monster ship. Since that time, the PCG vessel has been deployed to challenge its unlawful presence,” Tarriela told the reporters.

The back-and-forth situation continued as the BRP Teresa Magbanua “gradually pushed away” another Chinese ship, CCG-3304, which had been monitored around 70 to 80 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales since 9 January — a day after the monster ship left the area.

“The PCG vessel, BRP Teresa Magbanua, has proven to be a formidable asset in ensuring that the China Coast Guard vessel 3304 is gradually pushed away from the coastline of Zambales, achieving a remarkable distance of up to 97 nautical miles offshore,” Tarriela said.

“This strategic maneuvering by the BRP Teresa Magbanua has prompted the People’s Republic of China to deploy the China Coast Guard 5901 ‘monster ship,” he added.

Encroaching Phl EEZ

Despite the imposing size of CCG-5901, Tarriela said the PCG vessel has “boldly approached” its starboard side at a close range, “effectively hindering the CCG vessel’s attempts” to move towards the Zambales coastline.

As of Saturday, CCG-5901 has replaced CCG-3304 and is now positioned 97 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales.

The PCG consistently executes radio challenges against the CCG vessels, “reminding the Chinese crew that they are unlawfully operating within the Philippines’ EEZ and do not possess any legal authority to conduct maritime patrols.”

Tarriela sees these actions from China as an attempt to “alter the status quo.”

The PCG analyzed satellite imagery overlaid with the estimated grid coordinates of China’s so-called 10-dash line.

Tarriela said China utilizes the dash-line to justify its coast guard presence near Zambales.

China has been flaunting its “arbitrariness” by releasing its 2023 version of the map, which features a new 10-dash line that defines its purported boundaries in the South China Sea.

It was formerly a nine-dash line which sets imaginary lines shaped like the letter “U” in the SCS.

The map covers a large part of the SCS, including those parts located within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile EEZ.

Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippines have earlier rejected China’s claims under the new version of its SCS map, which shows that Taiwan, India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, and the Aksai Chin region are part of Beijing’s domain.

China’s playbook

Tarriela noted that Beijing is utilizing this 10-dash line as the basis for the deployment of Chinese ships close to Zambales. The fourth dash in the imaginary lines is approximately 60 to 80 nautical miles from the protruding landmass of Luzon and other nearby islands.

“Their goal is to normalize such deployments, and if these actions go unnoticed and unchallenged, it will enable them to alter the existing status quo,” he said.

He added this “strategy of normalization, followed by altering the status quo and ultimately operationalizing their illegal narrative, has consistently been part of the Chinese playbook.”

“This is why it is important for the Philippine Coast Guard to actively expose these unlawful deployments of Chinese vessels to the global community, ensuring that such actions are not normalized and that this bullying behavior does not succeed,” Tarriela stressed.

Monster ship in Phl waters concerning

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin earlier said Malacañang is concerned over the presence of the monster ship in the Philippine waters.

Bersamin noted it could be a “power projection” in the region.

“We view it with concern. So far, we’ve been challenging the presence of that monster ship. Our Coast Guard has been very alert in following up the presence of that monster ship. Pasulpot-sulpot and it is within our exclusive economic zone,” he said.

Navy spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to conduct maritime and air patrols in WPS amid the presence of foreign vessels.

However, the PCG was tasked to hold day-to-day tracking of the monster ship.

The PCG lamented that the monster ship movement on the Zambales coast cannot be considered an “innocent passage” hence, its presence in the area is “illegal.”

“Observations reveal that the CCG vessel’s erratic movements indicate it is not engaged in the innocent passage but rather asserts that it is conducting a law enforcement operation, claiming jurisdiction over these waters as belonging to the People’s Republic of China,” Tarriela said.

Tarriela explained that erratic movement refers to a ship moving unpredictably, “not along a continuous straight path, and with irregular speeds.”