Philippines Says Over 100 Chinese Militia Vessels Spotted Within Territorial Waters

A Chinese coast guard vessel almost collided with a Philippine coast guard ship in the South China Sea on April 23

A Chinese Coast Guard ship with bow number 5201 blocks Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Malapascua as it maneuvers to enter the mouth of the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the South China Sea on April 23, 2023. Aaron Favila/AP Photo

More than 100 Chinese militia vessels were spotted swarming around the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) last week, refusing to leave despite being ordered to do so, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on April 28.

The PCG said it deployed two vessels—BRP Malapascua and BRP Malabrigo—to conduct a week-long maritime patrol in the South China Sea on April 18 under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order.

During the mission, the PCG detected over 100 Chinese maritime militia vessels, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy corvette class, and two Chinese coast guard vessels in several Philippine-controlled areas.

The PCG vessels sent their rigid hull inflatable boats to disperse over 100 Chinese militia vessels swarming near Julian Felipe Reef—within the country’s 200-mile EEZ—but to no avail.

“No CMM [Chinese maritime militia] vessels reacted or made any attempts to vacate the area,” the coast guard said in a statement.

The PCG said its vessels issued “numerous radio challenges” to some 18 Chinese maritime militia vessels gathering around Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands. Still, they refused to comply with the order.

China, Philippine Vessels in ‘Near-Collision’

The PCG also claimed that a PLA Navy vessel crossed paths with its ships at a distance of seven nautical miles from Thitu Island—which Manila refers to as Pag-asa Island—in the Spratly Islands on April 21.

The PLA ordered the two Philippine vessels to leave and warned of “a problem” if they failed to comply. In response, the PCG claimed the areas were under the Philippine jurisdiction and urged them to leave instead.

The PCG vessels continued with their mission and navigated in the Ayungin Shoal on April 23, where they were intercepted by two Chinese coast guard vessels that “exhibited aggressive tactics.”

One of the Chinese ships “carried out dangerous maneuvers” at a distance of 50 yards from the BRP Malapascua, posing “a significant threat” to the safety of the PCG vessel and its crew.

The second Chinese coast guard vessel shadowed BRP Malabrigo at a distance of 700 yards, the PCG stated.

Philippine Coast Guard Petty Officer 3 John Solatre uses the radio on board the BRP Malabrigo to send a message to suspected Chinese militia ships near the Philippine-claimed island of Thitu, locally known as Pag-asa Island, in the South China Sea on April 21, 2023. Aaron Favila/AP Photo

AFP reported that a Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel in the Ayungin Shoal, resulting in a “near-collision.” AFP was among the reporters participating in the PCG’s maritime patrol on April 23.

“Our bows would have collided if I hadn’t been able to stop our ship. I even put my engine in reverse just to suppress the speed, so we won’t hit each other,” Malapascua commanding officer Rodel Hernandez told AFP.

Ayungin Shoal, also known as the Second Thomas Shoal or Renai Reef by China, is part of the Spratly Islands, about 105 nautical miles off the Philippine province of Palawan.

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) classifies maritime areas within 200 nautical miles of coastal nations’ borders as part of their EEZs.

Beijing claims much of the South China Sea as its own territory under its so-called “nine-dash line.” The Hague Tribunal ruled in favor of legal action taken by the Philippines in 2016. Still, the ruling did not see communist China change its behavior, with Chinese vessels repeatedly intruding into the Philippines’ maritime zones.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei have also clashed with the Chinese regime over its claims in the Sea.

Earlier in February, the PCG reported that a Chinese coast guard vessel used a “military-grade laser” against its ship in the Ayungin Shoal to impede a resupply mission, temporarily blinding its crew.

As of September 2022, the Philippines has filed over 48 protests against China’s sea incursions under Marcos’s administration. He took office less than three months earlier in June 2022. His predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, filed 388 protests over his six-year term as president.