PH Navy: Chinese vessels in WPS increased to 41 in January

The number of Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea (WPS) features has increased to 41 in the first week of January from 20 in the first week of December last year, the Philippine Navy said Tuesday.

At a press briefing, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said vessels of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), China Coast Guard (CCG), and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) were spotted in the following features:

• Bajo de Masinloc - eight (two PLANs, three CCGs, three CMMs)
• Ayungin Shoal - 14 (six CCGs, eight CMMs)
• Escoda Shoal - 13 (three PLANs, six CCGs, four CMMs)
• Pagasa Island - six (four CCGs, two CMMs)

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. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA Integrated News