THE military yesterday said it has monitored 207 Chinese vessels at several features in the contested West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea, the highest number recorded this year during a one-week monitoring period.
But the Navy implied it is not alarming.
“This is within the force projection capability of the South Sea Fleet, the Chinese Coast Guard and the maritime militia,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, in a press briefing.
The 207 vessels at the nine features in the WPS were monitored from September 3 to 9, an increase from the 203 the previous week.
Trinidad said the deployment is within the “normal range of their capability” of China’s South Sea Fleet that operates in the South China Sea. He noted that China has up to 425 Navy ships, Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia vessels operating under South Sea Fleet.
“So long as the numbers don’t exceed what we have monitored (425 vessels), it indicates that this is still within the range of the South Sea Fleet capabilities to deploy forces,” said Trinidad.
Pressed when the Chinese deployment will reach an abnormal range, Trinidad said, “The moment they bring in forces from other theaters.”
Nevertheless, Trinidad said the presence of the Chinese vessels is “not acceptable” because these are inside Philippine territory.
Based on the Philippine Navy’s monitoring, 68 of the 207 Chinese vessels were sighted at Escoda Shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, about 70 nautical miles from mainland Palawan.
The 68 are 55 maritime militia vessels, eight Coast Guard vessels, and five Navy ships.
The shoal has been the site of recent incidents of Chinese harassment. The last was the ramming of BRP Teresa Magbanua, a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, on August 31.
Fifty-nine Chinese vessels were monitored at Iroquois reef — 58 maritime militia vessels and one Navy ship.
Fifty were sighted at Pag-asa Island — 49 maritime militia vessels and one Coast Guard vessel.
The other vessels were seen at Scarborough Shoal (12 maritime militia vessels and one Coast Guard vessel), Ayungin Shoal (eight Chinese Coast Guard vessel and two maritime militia vessels), Lawak Island (four maritime militia vessels), Likas Island (one maritime militia vessel), Panata Island (one maritime militia vessel), and Rizal Reef (one research and survey vessel).
Meanwhile, visiting US Marine Corps (USMC) commandant Gen. Eric Smith and AFP vice chief Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura discussed ways to improve cooperation between the two sides.
Col. Xerxes Trinidad, chief of the AFP’s Public Affairs Office, said the two officers met Monday in Camp Aguinaldo and Cordura “expressed appreciation for General Smith’s visit and highlighted the importance of continued partnership between the AFP and USMC.
“The two leaders also discussed the upcoming Maritime Training Security Sama-Sama underscoring a shared commitment to advancing maritime domain awareness and interoperability,” added Trinidad.
Trinidad said Smith’s visit of Smith “reflects the AFP’s initiative to explore avenues for future cooperation anchored in the rules-based international order and a shared vision for a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”
