West PH Sea logs increase in Chinese ships to 36 this week – AFP
MANILA, Philippines — A total of 36 Chinese vessels were monitored at key features in the West Philippine Sea this week, up from 27 ships recorded last week, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday.
AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinindad, who now serves as a reservist, said the ships were tracked from May 19 to May 25 across four areas: Panatag Shoal, Ayungin Shoal, Escoda Shoal, and Pag-asa Island.
“We do not speculate on their presence, why they are there. What is important is that their presence is still illegal,” he said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
READ: AFP monitors 27 Chinese vessels across key WPS features
Most of the vessels were present in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, with 19 vessels— 10 People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships and nine Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels.
“The presence in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag) is there to normalize the situation in as much as they have already declared a nature reserve,” Trinidad said.
“These are all illegal statements, these are false narratives which we have been pushing back against,” he added.
READ: West PH Sea: Manila to receive Japan security aid for 4th straight year
The shoal is about 220 kilometers from Luzon in the West Philippine Sea, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
It has remained under Chinese control since a 2012 standoff with the Philippine Navy.
Eight CCG vessels and one PLAN warship were spotted near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. The low-tide elevation is located 194 kilometers off Palawan.
Escoda (Sabina) Shoal saw five vessels—three CCG vessels and two PLAN warships. It lies about 195 kilometers west of Palawan.
Three vessels were also monitored around Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, composed of two PLAN ships and 1 CCG vessel. The island is about 528 kiloemeters west of Palawan.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, waters in the western portion of the country’s 370-kilometer EEZ.
Beijing continues to ignore a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that nullified its claims and upheld Manila’s sovereign rights over these waters. /gsg/dl
First posted 11:21 am
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