2 Chinese research ships operating in Bajo de Masinloc

Two Chinese research ships were operating in Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to a maritime expert on Wednesday.

“Two People’s Republic of China research vessels now operating at disputed Scarborough Shoal,” former United States Air Force official and ex-Defence Attaché Ray Powell said on X (formerly Twitter).

“Xiang Yang Hong 10 deep-sea research ship arrived 15 August. Zhu Hai Yun autonomous mothership—can deploy 50+ air, surface and subsea drones—arrived 18 August. Both operating south of the shoal,” he added.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Navy on the reported operation of the two Chinese vessels in Bajo de Masinloc, but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

On August 11, the PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) headed to Bajo de Masinloc to distribute aid to local fishermen as part of the Kadiwa program. 

Several Chinese vessels, however, harassed Philippine vessels by using a water cannon, performing dangerous maneuvers, and shadowing. 

According to the PCG, People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship 164 and China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 3104 collided while they were chasing PCG's BRP Suluan.

The CCG vessel sustained substantial damage, rendering it unseaworthy, while the flagpole of the PCG vessel was also damaged.

Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

READ: What is Scarborough Shoal and why is it important?

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. —VAL, GMA Integrated News