THE PHILIPPINES on Tuesday said it views with alarm the presence of China’s largest coast guard ship within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), vowing to continue sea patrols.
“We view it with concern,” Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin told a news briefing at the presidential palace. “So far, we have been challenging the presence of that monster ship.”
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday said the “erratic movements” of the 165-meter-long China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, which Manila calls a “monster ship,” within the Philippine EEZ indicate it is not engaged in innocent passage.
“The Coast Guard, our Coast Guard, has always been very alert in following up the presence of that monster ship,” said Mr. Bersamin, who heads the National Maritime Council.
While there has been no confrontation, it calls for continued vigilance, he added.
The Philippines would pursue diplomatic means to resolve its sea dispute with China, including the filing of protests and engaging with the Chinese government in high-level talks, Mr. Bersamin said.
The Philippine Coast Guard earlier said the Chinese vessel was “conducting a law enforcement operation, claiming jurisdiction over these waters as belonging to the People’s Republic of China.”
The monster ship was last spotted 65 nautical miles southwest of Los Frailes Island in Zambales province in northern Philippines.
The PCG said the 44.5-meter BRP Cabra has “remained steadfast” in challenging China’s assertion, “diligently tailing and shadowing CCG-5901 to uphold Philippine sovereign rights.”
It said the Philippine Coast Guard vessel continues to send radio challenges to the Chinese ship.
China’s largest coast guard ship was positioned 54 nautical miles off Capones Island in Zambales, the PCG said on Sunday, citing Canada’s dark vessel detection system.
After Philippine authorities detected the ship, PCG Commandant Ronnie Gil L. Gavan promptly ordered the dispatch of BRP Cabra along with a PCG helicopter and PCG caravan “to verify the incursion and assert their presence.”
The PCG earlier called the ship’s presence an act of Chinese “intimidation, coercion and aggression.”
“We have all our assets pointed at this monster ship. The moment it (carries out) any provocative action, it will be met with appropriate response,” Jonathan E. Malaya, spokesman for the National Security Council, told state television on Monday.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ties between China and the Philippines have soured in the past few years, with spats frequent as Manila under President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. pushes back at what it sees as aggression by Beijing. China has accused the Philippines of repeated encroachment in its waters.
China claims most of the South China Sea, a key conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade, as its own territory, with a massive coast guard presence in and around the EEZs of neighbors Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Beijing rejects a 2016 ruling by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that said those expansive maritime claims were illegal.
The PCG had ordered the Chinese vessel to leave the area, warning it has no authority to operate there, according to a video it shared. In its radioed response, the Chinese ship said it was conducting law enforcement duties within its jurisdictional waters.
“This is part of China’s intimidation, coercion, aggression and deception. They are showcasing their ship to intimidate our fishermen,” Mr. Malaya said, adding that the Philippine maritime presence would be boosted to support fishermen. — K.A.T. Atienza with Reuters
