30 Chinese vessels swarm West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines, November 26 ------ At least 30 Chinese military and coast guard vessels were seen swarming four features in the West Philippine Sea as of yesterday, the Philippine Navy said. Based on the Navy's monitoring, at least four Chinese warships and eight coast guard ships were spotted near Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), while seven vessels were seen near Ayungin Shoal. Six more vessels were seen at Escoda Shoal, while five China Coast Guard ships were spotted near Pag-asa Island. This was shared by Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad at a press conference.

Beijing's near-constant presence in the waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is part of its continued campaign of claiming nearly the entire South China Sea as its own. This, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling in favor of the Philippines that invalidated China's so-called nine-dash line. No aggressive actions were reported during the monitoring period, Trinidad said. "We expect these numbers will go down when the typhoon would hit the West Philippine Sea," Trinidad said of the weather system passing through the area.

Tropical Cyclone Verbena made landfall over Surigao del Sur yesterday and is currently traversing the coastal waters of Palawan, according to PAGASA's 2 p.m. update today. Verba is expected to reach the West Philippine Sea by Wednesday morning, November 26. Philippine Navy and Air Force patrols continue to monitor areas of the West Philippine Sea under the Northern Luzon Command and Western Command, Trinidad said.

The concentration of Chinese vessels at Scarborough Shoal — at least 12 vessels monitored in total — is one of the largest recent deployments at the shoal, which lies 124 nautical miles off Zambales and well within the Philippines' EEZ. China has stepped up patrols around the shoal after declaring part of it a “nature reserve,” a unilateral action that Manila protested and that has reignited friction between the two nations.

A Chinese buoy measuring 5 to 8 meters in diameter and barriers at the mouth of Bajo de Masinloc remain in place, based on the latest Philippine Coast Guard report. The buoy sits in the northeast corner of the shoal, and Trinidad said it has not blocked Filipino fishermen from accessing the area. The National Maritime Council is weighing action on the buoy and barriers, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines stands ready to support whatever the Coast Guard or the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources decides, he added.

Source: philstar.com