Chinese ship makes ‘intrusive patrol’ in West PH Sea near Manila Bay

SCREENGRAB FROM SEALIGHT

MANILA, Philippines — A China Coast Guard (CCG) ship conducted what a maritime expert deemed an “intrusive patrol” relatively near Manila Bay in the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday.

As of 9:59 a.m., the CCG ship with hull number 3304 conducted the activity just 50 nautical miles away from Luzon coast, according to SeaLight founder Ray Powell.

Manila has sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea and is entitled to conduct economic activities in the western section of its exclusive economic zone; however, other nations are still entitled to freedom of navigation and overflight in this area.

While Powell said it’s “legal under the international law”, he noted the CCG’s activity there is clearly aggressive.

“This is clearly a patrol…but obviously aggressive and intended to send a message that China has jurisdiction,” Powell, program head of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, told the Inquirer over X (formerly Twitter). “That’s why we classify it as an ‘intrusive patrol’.”

China asserts sovereignty in the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, but the landmark 2016 arbitral award effectively invalidated this claim in favor of Manila’s sovereign rights.

In 2013, late former president Benigno S. Aquino brought China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration a year after Manila’s tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. Since 2012, China has had effective control of Panatag Shoal and since then, at least two CCG ships have been stationed outside the lagoon at any given time, according to Filipino authorities.

Powell said this CCG-3304 was patrolling around Panatag Shoal before arriving near Manila Bay on Monday, July 21.

“So far, there’s no indication that it plans to redeploy,” Powell said of the 111-meter-long CCG vessel.

The CCG vessel’s presence there comes even as the area experiences tall waves due to weather disturbances brought by the southwest monsoon, also known as habagat.

Nevertheless, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the number of Chinese vessels and warships in the country’s western EEZ is expected to have a drastic decrease.

There were 49 CCG ships and People’s Liberation Army (LPA) Navy warships monitored in the West Philippine Sea for June, the highest so far recorded this year, according to Trinidad.

READ: China Coast Guard, Navy ships in WPS increasing since January

“But historically because of weather disturbances, these numbers drastically drop … they also seek shelter in the areas not affected by the weather,” Trinidad said in a regular military press conference on Tuesday. “So we expect for this particular timeframe, the number of PLA-Navy ships, Coast Guard and even the maritime militia would be lesser than the last report.”

However, Trinidad said the Chinese ships and warships will return to their usual activities after the weather disturbance.

“The trend is after any weather disturbance, the numbers always increase,” he said. “They go back to their regular, normal presence.” /jpv