Bad weather may cause decrease of Chinese militia ships in West PH Sea

This handout photo taken on December 2, 2023 and released on December 3 by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows an aerial view of Chinese vessels gathered by Whitsun Reef, around 320 kilometres (200 miles) west of Palawan Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The Philippines said December 3 more than 135 Chinese vessels were “swarming” a reef off its coast, describing the boats’ growing presence as “alarming”. Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The number of Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships in the West Philippine Sea could decrease in the coming months as many may return to the mainland due to bad weather.

Navy spokesperson Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad on Tuesday said the presence of the CMM is “dictated” by several factors like weather.

“The weather affects all players and claimant countries, not only China, Vietnam and the Philippines,” Trinidad said in a regular press conference when asked if there is an expected decrease of vessels due to the rainy weather.

READ: Chinese warships presence in West Philippine Sea doubles

Trinidad said 108 CMM vessels were observed in several maritime features in the West Philippine Sea from June 4 to June 10.

The looming La Niña weather phenomenon sees the eastern Pacific Ocean cool for a period of about one to three years, causing rains and strong waves in the waters off Southeast Asia.