This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
The Philippines has deployed vessels and aircraft to closely monitor a gigantic Chinese coast guard ship – the world’s largest – in waters off Luzon island, Filipino officials said, describing the ship as a menacing presence in its exclusive economic zone.
The 12,000-ton China Coast Guard vessel 5901, known as “The Monster” for its sheer size, was last seen on Saturday about 54 nautical miles from Capones, a Philippine island in the South China Sea close to the coast of western Zambales province.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been shadowing CCG 5901 and transmitting radio messages asking it to leave Philippine waters, said Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the National Security Council.
“Obviously, this is an act of intimidation, coercion and aggression against the Philippines,” Malaya told a press briefing on Monday.
“We have all our assets pointed at this monster ship. At the moment it does something bad in the sense that it would provoke actions, there will be appropriate action from the government,” Malaya said, without elaborating.
The Chinese ship arrived last week at Scarborough Shoal, a disputed South China Sea feature within the Philippines’ EEZ, an analyst told Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews.
Malaya dismissed a Chinese government statement saying that its vessel was merely conducting a patrol within its jurisdiction.
China’s embassy in Manila has not responded to media requests for comment, but has repeatedly asserted Beijing’s jurisdiction over Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines.
The shoal, located 125 nautical miles (232 kilometers) from the main Philippine island of Luzon, has been under Beijing’s de facto control since 2012. It is claimed by China, the Philippines and Taiwan. The shoal is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen but Chinese vessels have restricted their access in recent years.
While CCG 5901 has not carried out any dangerous maneuvers so far, Malaya said its activities within Manila’s waters were not backed by any international law.
“And given that we do not want to be the precursor of any provocative action, we’re just monitoring and shadowing it as of now,” he said.
On Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard said that one of its ships, the BRP Cabra, and its aircraft were tailing the huge Chinese ship and issuing radio challenges.
As of 7 p.m. Monday, the BRP Cabra had kept on the heels of the foreign ship for a third straight day, said Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea – Manila’s name for South China Sea waters within its exclusive economic zone.
CCG 5901’s “erratic movements” indicated that it was not engaged in “innocent passage” in Philippine waters but was actually conducting “a law enforcement operation” in Manila’s territorial waters, Tarriela said.
In November, Beijing announced baselines of its territorial sea around the Scarborough Shoal to strengthen its claim over the South China Sea feature, a move that Manila rejected.
Last month, confrontations heated up between Beijing and Manila around the area, with both claimants accusing each other of instigating trouble.
Beijing said Manila was encroaching in what it claimed as its jurisdiction, forcing it to take measures. The PCG accused its Chinese counterpart of firing a water cannon and of sideswiping a government fisheries ship patrolling the area.
In 2012, China took possession of the shoal, forcing the Philippines to file a lawsuit before a world court. Four years later, an international arbitral tribunal ruled in Manila’s favor.
Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling.
