This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
The Philippine military said Tuesday that it had monitored more than 200 Chinese vessels in several areas within Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea during the past week alone – the highest number recorded this year.
According to Filipino officials, a majority of the ships and boats were spotted near Sabina (Escoda) Shoal, a disputed reef and scene of an incident on Aug. 31 where Manila accused the Chinese coast guard of ramming into a Philippine Coast Guard ship at least three times.
“We can attribute the surge [of Chinese vessels] to the attention given to Sabina/Escoda Shoal in the last few weeks,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy’s spokesman for the West Philippine Sea.
Manila calls South China Sea waters within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) the West Philippine Sea. An EEZ gives a coastal state exclusive rights up to 200 miles from its coastline to regulate fishing activities, as well as explore and exploit natural resources within the zone’s waters, seabed and subsoil, according to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.
Seventy-one Chinese vessels were monitored at Sabina Shoal, from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2, compared with 53 the previous week, officials said. The Chinese vessels comprised 53 maritime militia boats, nine Navy ships and nine Coast Guard vessels, according to Trinidad.
Sabina Shoal, a reef located 75 nautical miles (140 km) from the Philippine island of Palawan, has been the site of maritime standoffs between Philippine and Chinese personnel in the past weeks.
The latest was on Saturday, when Manila blamed a Chinese coast guard vessel for ramming into the BRP Teresa Magbanua, a Philippine coast guard ship deployed at the shoal since April, amid reports that Beijing may be trying to reclaim land there.
China has repeatedly accused the Philippines of “illegally grounding” the BRP Teresa Magbanua to “forcibly occupy” the shoal, which the Chinese call Xianbin Jiao.
“The Philippines sent its Coast Guard vessel to the lagoon of Xianbin Jiao which has been illegally anchored there for many days now n an attempt to permanently occupy the area. This is the root cause of the current escalatory situation at Xianbin Jiao,” Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, said Monday.
“The measures China took at Xianbin Jiao [on Saturday were] aimed at protecting its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. They [were] fully legitimate and lawful.”
In addition to the Chinese vessels clustered around Sabina Shoal, Trinidad said 52 others were monitored at the Philippine-occupied Thitu (Pag-asa) Island during the same period, up from 35 the previous week.
There were also 26 Chinese vessels at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal during the same period, compared with only 23 the previous week, Trinidad said.
Another 54 Chinese vessels were monitored at various South China Sea features that lie within Manila’s EEZ, including Iroquois Reef, Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal), Loaita (Kota) Island, and Commodore (Rizal) Reef, according to Trinidad.
Beijing’s presence in the territories that lie within Manila’s EEZ is illegal, Trinidad said.
He said that the Philippine Navy and the Armed Forces of the Philippines would “continue to perform its mandate to protect our territory as we uphold international law and contribute to regional peace and stability.”
The Philippines and China are locked in a years-long dispute over the potentially mineral- and gas-rich South China Sea.
China has refused to heed an international tribunal’s landmark verdict, which ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016 and said there was no evidence to support Beijing’s assertion it had exclusive control over the waterway based on historical grounds.
The recent maritime and air confrontations between Manila and Beijing happened despite both sides agreeing to dial down tensions in the South China Sea in July.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have territorial claims in the strategic waterway.
