Chinese research vessel passes through PH waters – monitor
Track of Chinese research vessel Song Hang inside the country’s archipelagic waters on April 1, 2025. SCREENGRAB FROM RAY POWELL
MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese research vessel passed through the Philippines’ archipelagic waters, a maritime expert said on Tuesday.
READ: US expert: China Coast Guard intercepts 2 PH vessels in Scarborough
“China’s fisheries research vessel Song [Hang] is now transiting the Philippines’ archipelagic waters on its way south toward the Celebes Sea,” said Ray Powell, director of SeaLight and program head of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot
According to Powell’s data, the 85-meter vessel departed from Shanghai, China last March 26.
Song Hang is owned and operated by Shanghai Ocean University.
In 2017, China Daily reported that Song Hang is Beijing’s “first oceangoing fishery survey ship.”
This is not the first time that Beijing’s ships have entered Manila’s archipelagic waters.
Lan Hai 101, one of China’s largest fisheries research ships, transited inside the country’s archipelagic waters last February, passing between the islands of Busuanga and Mindoro at one point.
READ: Chinese research ship passes between Busuanga and Mindoro – monitor
When asked why a Chinese research ship would pass inside the country’s archipelagic waters that time, Powell refused to speculate.
However, he told INQUIRER.net on February 11 that “one certainly could wonder if its purpose was to demonstrate that China doesn’t recognize the Philippines’ new archipelagic sea lanes.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, which clarifies the geographical extent of Manila’s maritime domain and specifies the legal powers that the country may exercise over these areas, while the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act ensures the protection of the country’s sovereignty and maritime domain.
Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea.
In 2012, Manila and Beijing had a tense standoff over Panatag Shoal, with Manila withdrawing its ships from the shoal, which led to Beijing having effective control of its lagoon to date.
A year later, the Philippines lodged an arbitration case against China after this standoff, which led to a historic 2016 arbitral award that effectively rejected the China’s sweeping claims in the West Philippine Sea.
