Chinese vessels spotted near Pag-asa Island

MANILA, Philippines — A People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessel and a Chinese Coast Guard-5203 (CCG-5203) vessel were spotted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday anchored in waters in the vicinity of Pag-asa Island in Palawan, along with 42 suspected Chinese maritime militia.

In a statement, the PCG said its personnel stationed in Pag-asa Island monitored the presence of the Chinese vessels with an estimated distance of around 4.5 to eight nautical miles from the island, which is “clearly inside the land feature’s 12 nautical miles territorial sea.”

The agency added that it observed that the PLA Navy vessel and CCG-5203 have been loitering within the surrounding waters of Pag-asa Island with a distance of eight nautical miles and four nautical miles, respectively.

Fourteen suspected Chinese maritime militia vessels are anchored within the vicinity of Pag-asa Cay 3 with an estimated distance of four nautical miles west of Pag-asa Island, while 28 others are monitored within the area of Pag-asa Cay 4, according to the PCG.

Pag-asa Island is the largest in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), serving as the seat of the local government of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan and home to more than 400 locals, including some 70 children, along with military, law enforcement and civilian government personnel.

“Based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, the observed location of the Chinese vessels fall squarely within the Pag-asa Island’s 12 NM territorial sea,” the PCG said.

“Their continuing unauthorized presence is clearly inconsistent with the right of innocent passage and a blatant violation of the Philippines’ territorial integrity,” it added, as it vowed to continue to “unceasingly carry out its patriotic duty in patrolling our waters in the West Philippine Sea.”

The PCG earlier said it would continue to publicize the aggressive behavior and the presence of its Chinese counterparts in Philippine waters, as it urged Filipino fishermen to report to them any untoward incident within the country’s territorial seas.