PH Navy: 18 Chinese vessels spotted in WPS features in past week

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday said a total of 18 Chinese vessels have been monitored in some features of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the past week.

In an update, Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said that these Chinese ships were spotted from February 15 to 22:

• Bajo de Masinloc — nine (four People's Liberation Army Navy, five China Coast Guard vessels )
• Ayungin Shoal — four (four CCGs)
• Escoda Shoal – three (two PLANs, one CCG)
• Pag-asa Island —  two (one PLAN, one CCG)

On Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) accused China of jamming signals while Filipino vessels were conducting maritime patrol near Bajo de Masinloc.

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. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News