PH Navy: 30 Chinese vessels including warships spotted in WPS

A total of 30 China Coast Guard and People's Liberation Army Navy vessels have been monitored in some features of the West Philippine Sea as of Monday, the Philippine Navy said Tuesday.

At a press briefing, Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said Chinese vessels were spotted in the following WPS features:

• Bajo de Masinloc - four PLAN vessels, eight CCG ships
• Ayungin Shoal - one PLAN vessel, six CCG ships
• Escoda Shoal - one PLAN vessel, five CCG ships
• Pagasa Island - five CCG ships

Trinidad said the Philippine Navy is expecting the number of Chinese ships in WPS to decline as Tropical Cyclone Verbena may pass the area.

He added no aggressive actions from these Chinese vessels have been recorded so far.

“No untoward incident, no coercive and aggressive actions were monitored, but the presence, the legal presence, is still there,” Trinidad said.

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.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronniel Gil Gavan said, "My top priority is to safeguard their livelihoods from any interference by the CCG and to ensure their rights as Filipinos are never suppressed by external bullying.”

“We stand firmly with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in defending every square inch of our sovereign territory against any foreign power,” he added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News