PCG monitors Chinese ships’ incursions into Phl EEZ
The PCG also reported the return of China Coast Guard ships to the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).
Daily TribuneThe PCG also reported the return of China Coast Guard ships to the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).
Photograph courtesy of PCG
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is closely monitoring the movement of two Chinese research vessels that entered the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), raising fresh concerns over Beijing’s activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
As of Thursday noon, the Chinese vessels Zhu Hai Yun and Xiang Yang Hong were detected 195.94 and 192.95 nautical miles, respectively, off the coast of Rizal, Palawan, according to PCG spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela.
In a virtual interview, Tarriela said the vessels departed from Guangdong province on 23 June and entered the Philippine EEZ on Thursday morning, 31 July. Both ships were observed near Balagtas Reef.
“These two Chinese research vessels circled Balagtas Reef. This morning, both entered the west coast of Luzon and proceeded to Balagtas Reef,” Tarriela told reporters in English and Filipino.
The PCG has yet to confirm if the Chinese vessels are conducting marine scientific research, an activity that requires prior approval from the Philippine government under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Tarriela said the Chinese ships were constantly on the move. “We have alerted our CG district in Palawan and the commandant has directed the deployment of a PCG vessel to monitor what the Chinese vessels are doing.”
Tarriela said that if the ships are found to be conducting an unauthorized research, the PCG will document and report the activities to the appropriate agencies for legal and diplomatic action.
Under UNCLOS, coastal states like the Philippines have sovereign rights over the natural resources within their EEZ and may authorize any marine scientific activity by foreign entities.
In a related development, the PCG reported the return of CCG ships to the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) after they had left due to the recent stormy weather.
Three Chinese ships — bow numbers 4203, 5303, and 3502 — were sighted in the area on Thursday morning, Tarriela said.
“Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan has deployed a PCG vessel to carry out a maritime law enforcement patrol,” he added.
Earlier, military spokesperson for the WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said no Chinese ships were seen in the area on 19 and 20 July, when severe tropical storm “Crising” and the intensified southwest monsoon lashed the country.
Bajo de Masinloc lies just 124 nautical miles off Zambales and falls well within the Philippines’ EEZ.
In contrast, it is 472 nautical miles from China’s nearest landmass, Hainan Island. Despite this, the shoal has been under de facto Chinese control since 2012, following a tense maritime standoff.
