West PH Sea: Chinese Navy ships set to exit PH waters via Basilan Channel

One of the three Chinese PLA Navy vessels monitored to have entered Philippine waters on Sunday and is being tracked to be transiting the Westmincom area of responsibility. PHOTOS COURTESY OF WESTMINCOM
MANILA, Philippines — The three Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels monitored to have entered the Philippine waters on February 2 are about to exit the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) through the Basilan Channel.
Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, said the ships were last spotted about 120 nautical miles from Basilan.
“As a quick update on the tracking of the three PLA Navy ships, they were more than 120 nautical miles south of Basilan, as of 0730 this morning. So palabas na siya sa ating (So they are now exiting our) exclusive economic zone,” Trinidad reported during a press conference on Tuesday.
READ: Westmincom tracking movement of 3 Chinese vessels in PH waters
Based on a report on Monday, the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said three PLA vessels — one Renhai Class Cruiser Guided Missile, one Jiangkai Class Frigate II, and one Type 903 Fuchi Class Replenishment Oiler — were first monitored in the vicinity of West Philippine Sea on Sunday. They were navigating through Mindoro Strait towards the Sulu Sea.
Article continues after this advertisementAfter they were monitored within WPS, Westmincom said that it dispatched two Philippine Air Force aircraft – a C-208 and one Nomad N22, to monitor the passage of vessels within the country’s territorial waters.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: China’s PLA Navy shadows Philippine Coast Guard in West Philippine Sea
Moreover, the Joint Task Force “Poseidon,” Westmincom’s lead maritime security arm, also deployed Philippine Navy vessels to “challenge and shadow” the PLA Navy vessels.
In response to this, the PLA Navy invoked freedom of navigation and innocent passage.
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