Philippines expels 'illegal' Chinese ships from near the coast of Ilokos
go through Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, reporter
The Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday it drove a Chinese ship to conduct illegal research in Waters, northern Philippines, where it was seen retrieving a deep-sea exploration ship.
Authorities say Chinese research ship Tan Su3 After the interception was captured on Monday, it did not respond to the radio challenge when it rolled up a diving vessel capable of diving deep. BRP Teresa Magbanua the largest ship of PCG.
PCG spokesman Jay Tristan Tarriela told the news briefing, where PCG spokesman Jay Tristan Tarriela conducted “illegal” ocean studies and found that Chinese research vessels were about 90 miles (166 kilometers) north of Ilokos, where they conducted “illegal” ocean studies.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to Viber's information seeking comments.
“We are actually monitoring the movement of Chinese research ships, whether they are just going to do freedom of navigation or we have to confirm whether they are doing marine scientific research that the Philippine government does not allow and allow,” Tariella said.
He added: “During nearly two days of surveillance of the satellite, the commander decided to deploy a Coast Guard to ensure it was escorted out of our exclusive economic zone and document its illegal activities.”
Tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea have intensified over the past year as Beijing continues to argue for its broader claims that it covers the maritime characteristics of Manila’s dispute.
According to the map from the 1940s, China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea, a map supported by the United Nations declared it for illegality in 2016.
Mr Tarriela said the Chinese research vessel was recovering a manned submersible capable of diving to a depth of 4.5 kilometers, adding that the incident “enhanced the possibility of sea drones previously discovered nationwide”.
The Philippine Navy said several marine drones found in the country's waters were likely deployed by Beijing and may have been used to investigate the underwater terrain in preparation for underwater war, the Philippine Navy said.
Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Roy Vincent T. Trinidad (Roy Vincent T.
Mr Tarriela said PCG did not try to catch diving due to legal complications. “Our mission is simply to prevent them from doing marine science.”
He added: “We are currently formalizing the results of operations and this will be submitted to the National Task Force in the West Philippine Sea.”
He said the Ministry of Justice and Foreign Affairs is a member of the task force and will respond to “illegal activities” in Philippine waters.
Shoal activities
Meanwhile, Chinese and Philippine ship activity near Scarborough Shoal has soared over the past year, with the Chinese Coast Guard gradually pushing its perimeter eastward towards the disputed shoal, close to Luzon, the Philippines’ main island.
Sealeight's surveillance detected 1.5 million Chinese ship ID card holders near the shallows, while activity in the Philippines soared 40 million, reaching 200,000 times, said Anna van Amerongen, director of Sealeight Tech Advisory Group.
“The perimeter around Scarborough Shoals has increased and has become a hotbed of activities,” she said.
She added that Chinese ships have been blocking PCG ships from within 32 kilometers of the shallows since May 2024.
The shallow is 240 kilometers west of Luzon, about 900 kilometers from Hainan, the nearest major land in China.
In 2013, the Philippines brought the dispute over Scarborough Shoal to a UN-backed court that ruled in 2016 that China interfered with the right of Filipino fishermen to enter the region. Since then, despite the ruling, Beijing has deployed a fleet of the Coast Guard to enforce its claims.
Jonathan E. Malaya, Assistant Director of the Manila National Security Council, told the forum that Manila is monitoring the situation in the Scarborough Shoals and is trying to assert sovereignty by raising its presence.
“Every activity that China has said to have carried out these activities that allegedly claim to its control can only prove that its actions violate international law,” Jay L. Batongbacal, director of the Philippine School of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said on the same forum.
“The more China tightens the more grip it has in the Scarborough Shoal, the more it’s lost because it only shows that its claims to it are illegal.”
Former Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio (Antonio T.
“We should arbitrate on the extended continental shelf,” he said. “Time is in China and it is getting stronger every year.”
Last June, the Philippine government filed a claim with the United Nations (UN) that attempted to register its extended shelf claims in the South China Sea amid repeated clashes with China.
Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries can claim exclusive economic zones with a range of more than 200 miles to show that their continental shelf is getting further and secure the rights to minerals and seabed resources.
