Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea decreased – PH Navy

WPS COMPOSITE IMAGE from Inquirer, AFP, Reuters file photos
MANILA, Philippines — The number of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) decreased from July 16 to 22, the Philippine Navy reported on Tuesday.
According to the Navy, there were 80 China Coast Guard (CCG) ships, People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) warships, and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels from July 16 to 22. This was less than the 105 CCC ships, PLA-N warships, and CMM vessels monitored from July 9 to 15.
In the latest monitoring period, seven CMM vessels and three CCG vessels were spotted at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, one of the tension hotspots between Manila and Beijing.
Meanwhile, two PLA-N warships, 14 CMM vessels, and four CCG vessels were seen at the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, another major flashpoint of tensions in the WPS.
READ: Bad weather may cause decrease of Chinese militia ships in West PH Sea
Article continues after this advertisementLast June 11, Navy spokesperson Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said the presence of the CMM is “dictated” by several factors like weather.
Article continues after this advertisement“The weather affects all players and claimant countries, not only China, Vietnam and the Philippines,” he said in a press conference when asked if there is an expected decrease of vessels due to the rainy weather.
READ: Number of China vessels rose slightly in West Philippine Sea
Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philippines and China reached an “understanding” on the “temporary arrangement” for the rotation and resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.
READ: PH, China agreement reached on Ayungin
It came after the June 17 incident at Ayungin Shoal, which saw the most violent actions of CCG so far, leading to what the Philippine military deem as “looting” of its disassembled high-powered guns and even caused the thumb amputation of one of its naval personnel.
In his third State of the Nation Address on Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to “find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas … without compromising our position and our principles.”
READ: Marcos: West Philippine Sea not an imagination, it will always be ours
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Tuesday said he fully supports Marcos.
“With the firm belief that peaceful channels such as dialogue and diplomacy are keys to peacefully resolving disputes, we will continually engage, build partnerships, and seek wider international support for what is rightfully ours,” Brawner’s statement read.
Brawner also enjoined the country’s allies “to make a united stance against those that seek to undermine the [2016] arbitral ruling” that recognized the Philippines’ rights over the WPS.
The WPS is a portion of the South China Sea that falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. However, China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia.
In 2016, the arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and said China’s claims have no legal basis.
The landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, a year after its tense standoff with Beijing over the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, whose lagoon the latter now has effective control of.
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