PH moves to intercept Chinese vessel in EEZ

WHY IS IT HERE? The Chinese- flagged Shen Kuo is seen in the waters northeast of Viga, Catanduanes province, in this photo taken from a Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane. PHOTO FROM TOWSOL, PAF

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines has sent an aircraft and confirmed the sighting of a Chinese-flagged ship in the waters off Viga town in Catanduanes province, amid suspicion that it is conducting research within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

A Philippine vessel will be sent out to “intercept” the now stationary, unresponsive craft and to find out what it was doing in the EEZ, according to an official of the National Security Council (NSC).

Initial observations indicated that the ship had remained stationary, though it did not appear to have encountered a mechanical problem or had issued a distress call, NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said as he reported the action taken by the AFP concerning the vessel Shen Kuo.

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“We have confirmed this report after we sent a Philippine Air Force aircraft, a Nomad N-22, from Legazpi (in Albay province) and conducted a maritime patrol,” Malaya said in an interview on the government television program “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.”

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Parked, unresponsive

“This vessel was observed to be stationary and did not issue a distress call,” he said. “Our troops issued a radio challenge on what the vessel was doing there, but there was no response.”

“It was just parked there. That is what we are trying to find out now because some are saying it’s a maritime research vessel, but I’m sure there will be again this claim by those who are behind it that it broke down,” he said.

“So our next step is to send a ship to intercept (Shen Kuo) to find out what it is doing within our EEZ.”

Jonathan Malaya

Malaya confirmed a statement from the Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday that reported the same Chinese vessel passing through Itbayat and Basco in Batanes province before “loitering” in the Catanduanes area.

No such agreement

Also on Monday, Malaya reiterated that the Marcos administration had never entered into an agreement in any form with China over the conduct of Filipino and Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying such an arrangement would be considered void for violating the 1987 Constitution.

Malaya said the Chinese government had kept on “twisting the narrative” by insisting that such an internal agreement had been reached with the current leadership.

Also serving as spokesperson for the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, Malaya was responding to statements from the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, who earlier denounced the Philippine government for denying the existence of a “common understanding” on how the situation in WPS, particularly at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, was to be managed.

“Our President has categorically declared that we will never enter into such an understanding because first, it violates our Constitution and it violates our national interest,” he said. “The People’s Republic of China can keep on twisting the narrative but there is no truth to all of these—there was no internal understanding or common understanding.”

“We will never do that because that’s against our interests,” Malaya said. “So we are standing firm on the position that nothing was violated because there was no agreement at all.”