Chinese survey ships spotted in PH waters

MANILA, Philippines, September 18 ------ A second reported Chinese survey ship operation in Philippine maritime areas this month has raised fresh security concerns, with two Chinese military hydrographic vessels detected last Sept. 11 near strategically sensitive waters.

National security expert and civil society leader Jose Antonio Goitia said the latest sightings showed a continuing pattern of Chinese survey and research activity that warranted closer Philippine monitoring, particularly when such vessels operate near critical maritime infrastructure.

The two vessels, identified as Hai Yang 23 (Qian Xuesen, pennant number 873) and Hai Yang 24 (Deng Jiaxian, pennant number 874), are Type 636A hydrographic survey ships listed in open-source naval references as in service with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy.

Goitia said Hai Yang 23 was detected about 1.15 nautical miles south of Galoc Island, Palawan, while Hai Yang 24 was reported about 64.28 nautical miles west-northwest of Panatag Shoal. The latest sightings followed the reported detection on Sept. 5 of Chinese marine scientific research vessel Haiyang Dizhi 12 Hao about 186.68 nautical miles west-northwest of Bolinao, Pangasinan.

The vessel was detected on Aug. 27 about 60 nautical miles west-northwest of El Nido, Palawan, and about 21 nautical miles east-northeast of the Malampaya natural gas field, Goitia said. The developments mean that at least three Chinese survey or research vessels have been reported operating in or near Philippine maritime areas in the space of two weeks in September, although their missions and activities are separate. “These are not ordinary research vessels. They are military survey ships capable of collecting detailed information about our maritime environment. When they operate in strategically sensitive areas, the Philippines has every reason to ask what they are mapping and why,” Goitia said.

Hydrographic surveys collect information on water depths, seabed features and marine conditions. Such data can serve civilian scientific purposes but may also have military applications, including naval navigation and submarine operations. Goitia said the reported locations of the two military survey vessels made their activities particularly significant because of the potential value of seabed information to maritime security and undersea infrastructure. “Our seabed is part of our national security. Our undersea cables are part of our national infrastructure. We have every right to protect them and to know who is operating around them,” he said.

Source: manilatimes.net