FILE PHOTO: Chinese militia vessels operate at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea, December 2, 2023. Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — Around 50 Chinese ships and fishing vessels were monitored in the West Philippine Sea, a Philippine Navy official said on Tuesday.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said these were monitored as of Monday.
“The number has been fairly constant,” Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.
READ: China hinders PH Navy’s ‘electronic capabilities’ in West PH Sea – exec
In Scarborough Shoal, there were four China Coast Guard vessels and “10 to 17” Chinese fishing vessels, according to Trinidad.
He also said there were two CCG vessels and four fishing boats in Ayungin Shoal.
The regular rotation and resupply mission of the Philippines in the BRP Sierra Madre — a Navy ship grounded in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 — became the flashpoint of tension between Manila and Beijing. A number of unarmed attacks by China on Philippine vessels also occurred in Scarborough Shoal.
Also a Chinese Navy warship was monitored in Pagasa Island along with a CCG vessel and 16 fishing boats, according to Trinidad.
Nine fishing boats were spotted in Panata Island while two were seen in Parola Island, according to Trinidad.
None were monitored in Likas Island, Lawak Island, Rizal Reef and Kota Island, while Sabina Shoal was not mentioned.
In the previous update dated Feb. 13, Trinidad said there were only 11 Chinese ships and fishing boats spotted in the West Philippine Sea. However, he did not provide the data for Scarborough Shoal.
China’s presence is based on its assertion of ownership to the entire South China Sea, which includes most of the West Philippine Sea. This claim was effectively dismissed by a 2016 international ruling.