The Philippine Coast Guard mentioned on Saturday it had noticed Chinese vessels, together with a ship below China’s navy, close to Pag-asa Island within the West Philippine Sea.
Filipino coast guards stationed on the island reported the presence of a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessel, China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5203, and 42 suspected Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels.
“These Chinese vessels are estimated to have a distance of approximately 4.5 to 8 nautical miles from Pag-asa Island, clearly inside the land feature’s 12-nautical-mile territorial sea,” the PCG mentioned in an announcement.
The PCG mentioned the PLA Navy vessel and CCG 5203 had been noticed to be “slowly loitering” throughout the surrounding waters of the island, at a distance of eight and 4 nautical miles, respectively.
Fourteen suspected CMM vessels had been anchored throughout the neighborhood of Pag-asa Cay 3, with an estimated distance of 4 nautical miles west of Pag-asa Island, whereas the opposite 28 suspected CMM vessels had been noticed to be throughout the space of Pag-asa Cay 4.
“Their continuing unauthorized presence is clearly inconsistent with the right of innocent passage and a blatant violation of the Philippines’ territorial integrity. The PCG, in compliance with the clear directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., will unceasingly carry out its patriotic duty in patrolling our waters in the West Philippine Sea,” the PCG mentioned.
Pag-asa Island is the biggest and the one civilian-inhabited island within the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) within the West Philippine Sea. It is estimated that greater than 400 civilian locals dwell on the island, together with stationed army, regulation enforcement, and authorities personnel.
For years, the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have been locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a significant sea lane the place oil and pure fuel have been found.
Manila refers to components of the South China Sea which might be inside its 200-nautical-mile unique financial zone because the West Philippine Sea.
In 2013, the Philippines challenged China’s authorized foundation for its huge declare in the South China Sea earlier than the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Manila received the case in a landmark award in 2016 after the tribunal invalidated Beijing’s assertions.
China has ignored and belittled the ruling, sustaining an “indisputable” and “historical” declare over almost your entire sea. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
