The spokesperson for the Philippine National Security Council said Manila was surprised by China’s “increasing aggression” in the maritime dispute.
The Philippines said China’s deployment of its largest coast guard vessel to Manila’s exclusive maritime economic zone (EEZ) was alarming and clearly intended to intimidate fishermen operating around a shoal in the waters. disputed South China Sea.
Philippine National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya said Tuesday that Manila had lodged a protest over the presence of the 165-meter (541-foot) Chinese coast guard vessel 5901, which was spotted at 77 nautical miles (142 km) off the coast of Zambales province, and demanded its removal from the EEZ.
“We were surprised by the increasing aggressiveness shown by the People’s Republic of China during the deployment of the monster ship,” Malaya said.
“It is an escalation and a provocation,” he declared, saying that the presence of the ship was “illegal” and “unacceptable”.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it deployed two of its largest vessels to chase away the Chinese vessel.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Monday that the coast guard’s “patrol and law enforcement activities” were “reasonable, lawful and impeccable” in the region.
The National Maritime Council of the Philippines also condemned on Monday the “illegal presence and operations” of “Chinese maritime forces and militias” in the country’s territorial waters and EEZ, identifying two coast guard vessels and a Chinese naval helicopter, who had “flyed over” a Philippine Coast Guard vessel.
“The escalation of actions by these Chinese vessels and aircraft clearly flouts Philippine and international laws,” the council said in a statement.
𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 | 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐌𝐂 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐂𝐆 𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐄𝐄𝐙 pic.twitter.com/0sN0qiy7If
– Presidential Office for Maritime Affairs (@POMC57) January 13, 2025
Tensions between the Philippines and Beijing have increased significantly over the past two years over competing claims in the South China Sea.
In 2016, an international tribunal ruled that China’s claims to large swaths of the disputed waterway were unfounded, a decision rejected by Beijing.
China’s broad claims overlap with the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The South China Sea is a strategic maritime route through which approximately $3 trillion in annual trade passes.
