PCG drives Chinese research vessel away from Batanes

The Philippine Coast Guard said Thursday it drove away a Chinese research vessel that had been operating within the country’s exclusive economic zone off Itbayat, Batanes.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela said the 97-meter BRP Teresa Magbanua and a Coast Guard aircraft were deployed against the Chinese vessel Jia Hai Ke 7, which had remained about 38 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat since 28 September.

Tarriela said sustained pressure from the PCG disrupted what it described as unauthorized marine scientific research and forced the vessel to leave its position.

The Teresa Magbanua shadowed Jia Hai Ke 7 and at one point closed to within about 100 yards, while a rigid-hull inflatable boat circled the Chinese ship and personnel issued radio challenges, according to the PCG.

The Chinese research vessel repeatedly maneuvered during the operation, while China Coast Guard vessel 2503 later arrived and attempted to position itself between the two ships, Tarriela said.

The PCG earlier accused Jia Hai Ke 7 of spoofing its Automatic Identification System location while operating near Batanes. Tracking data had shown what the Coast Guard described as a physically impossible journey from China to Papua New Guinea before the vessel was detected near Itbayat. Philstar

Tarriela said the presence of a China Coast Guard ship was significant because Jia Hai Ke 7 is privately owned, raising questions about the purpose of its activities and its links to the Chinese government.

The waters off Batanes and the Luzon Strait contain submarine cable corridors connecting the Philippines with Northeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. The PCG has said the vessel’s movements were consistent with marine scientific research.

The Teresa Magbanua continued monitoring Jia Hai Ke 7 until it left the Philippine exclusive economic zone, Tarriela said.

“The PCG mission against the Chinese research vessel JIA HAI KE 7 was successful,” he said.

China has disputed the Philippines’ characterization of the vessel’s activities, saying the ship was operating in waters under Chinese jurisdiction and that the two countries have overlapping maritime claims in the area.