The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has detected three Chinese research vessels operating within the eastern portion of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to a news conference November 30.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, identified the vessels as Xiang Yang Hong 3, Jia Geng, and Xiang Yang Hong 10.
“As of Saturday, Nov. 30, the vessels were located 210 nautical miles (NM) — roughly 389 kilometers (km) — east of Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, outside the EEZ,” Tarriela said.
He confirmed that these vessels had previously crossed into the Philippine EEZ. “We are still monitoring the movement of these Chinese research vessels because, at some point, they entered our exclusive economic zone in the past days,” Tarriela told the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, Manila.
Recent movements tracked
The PCG has closely monitored the movements of these vessels. In a separate message to reporters, Tarriela detailed the sightings.
He said the PCG tracked the Jia Geng as it entered the EEZ 200 nautical miles (370 km) east of Davao Oriental at 8.59 am on November 14. On November 17, the PCG located the Xiang Yang Hong 3 257 nautical miles (476 km) at 8.20 pm northeast of Santa Ana, Cagayan.
From 8.42 am on November 20 to 6.36 am on November 29, the Xiang Yang Hong 10 operated 200 nautical miles east of Siargao Island.
At 8:39 p.m. on November 29, the PCG again detected the Xiang Yang Hong 3 211 nautical miles (391 km) east of Siargao Island.
The PCG previously recorded the Xiang Yang Hong 3 near the Philippine Rise on November 4, alongside another Chinese research ship, the Zhang Jian.
The PCG has used Automatic Identification Systems and Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection Program to locate these vessels.
When asked about the ships’ objectives, Tarriela replied: “We can only speculate, as long as we do not know the true intention of the People’s Republic of China, why they are deploying these research vessels so close to our exclusive economic zone on the eastern seaboard.”
“There must be a compelling reason for the Chinese government to deploy three research vessels all at the same time in one particular area,” he added.
Tarriela emphasized that marine scientific research requires approval from the Philippine government. “The PCG will forward this matter to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea,” he noted.
China has yet to respond regarding this matter.
Eastern seaboard resources
The PCG continues to prioritize its limited resources for the West Philippine Sea. Tarriela explained: “As we have always been mentioning, the Philippine Coast Guard has very limited assets, but our priority right now is the West Philippine Sea.”
“At the eastern seaboard, there is no dispute, so there is no reason for us to deploy our vessels there,” he added. Despite this, he affirmed that Philippine ships in the area can already carry out activities to prevent unauthorized marine scientific research.
The PCG remains vigilant as Chinese maritime militias continue to swarm near Pag-asa Island. On November 27, the PCG observed more than 80 Chinese vessels in the area.
“This has always been a concern for the Philippine government. We are explaining the phenomenon, why it increased and why the number went down,” Tarriela explained.
“But every time they enter our territorial sea in Pag-asa, we are constantly radio-challenging these Chinese maritime militias,” he assured.
The PCG has intensified its inspections of dredging vessels in Manila Bay following the discovery of undocumented Chinese nationals aboard the Harvest 89 in Mariveles, Bataan, on November 26.
“Because of this incident, the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard has directed all our Coast Guard stations covering Manila Bay – from Coast Guard Station Cavite to Coast Guard Station Manila, Zambales, and Bataan – to intensify the inspection of these dredger vessels operating here in Manila Bay and to board them and ensure that there are no Chinese nationals on these ships,” Tarriela said.
The inspection revealed that the Harvest 89 had no permit for dredging activities in San Felipe, Zambales.
“The dredgers operating in the Manila Bay area are supposed to be manned by Filipino crew as they are registered with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) in the Philippines. Their crew are intended to be Filipinos and this is their declaration. They did not say they employ Chinese nationals,” Tarriela clarified.
The PCG is now coordinating with MARINA and the Bureau of Immigration to pursue legal action against the ship’s owner and agency. The Harvest 89 remains detained.
Maintain peace in West Philippine Sea
The Philippine government continues to prioritize a peaceful resolution in the South China Sea dispute by deploying the Coast Guard instead of the Navy.
Tarriela explained: “The only reason why you see Coast Guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea is because we don’t want to militarize the dispute.”
“The deployment of PCG within the country’s maritime domain, particularly at the West Philippine Sea, is de-escalatory and non-provocative not just to China but even for other claimant states,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tarriela also highlighted international support, noting that France and Japan are backing the PCG’s efforts to modernize its assets and equipment.
Tarriela said that the French government is helping the PCG in making 40 35-meter fast patrol crafts, while the PCG will acquire five more 97-meter patrol vessels from Japan.
“Since the administration of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos began, we have had a significantly higher budget for the Philippine Coast Guard. This is the reason why we were able to expand to as many as 30,000 strong right now,” he said.
“This is the reason why the Coast Guard can now expect more Coast Guard vessels from France and Japan,” Tarriela added.
Photo credit: Commodore Jay Tarriela. Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.
