China sends buoy vessel to West PH Sea

China has deployed a buoy vessel to the West Philippine Sea, according to ship tracking data, just days after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) placed navigational buoys at Philippine-claimed features in the contested waters.

It was not immediately clear why China deployed its largest beacon vessel, the 73-meter-long Haixun173, to the area. According to a state-run report by China Global Television Network during the ship’s commissioning in 2020, the vessel is mainly responsible for setting up buoys and conducting patrols and inspections in the South China Sea.

The PCG, which recently dropped buoys as sovereignty markers over some features in the West Philippine Sea, has yet to respond to requests for comment.

“Why would China send a buoy tender to the Spratlys a week after the Philippines deployed its buoys,” Stanford University’s Project Myoushu (South China Sea) lead Ray Powell, who has been monitoring the developments, said on Twitter.

“Alternatively, does China intend to place its own buoys as sovereignty markers to counter the Philippines’ buoys?” he asked.

The PCG installed the buoys early this month off the Philippine-occupied islands of Patag (Flat), Kota (Loaita), Panata (Lankiam Cay), and the fishing grounds of Balagtas (Irving) Reef and Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef for maritime safety and to further assert the country’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction in these waters. INQ