55 Chinese vessels spotted swarming WPS

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it had monitored at least 55 Chinese vessels swarming in five features of the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS, Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, on Tuesday said the Chinese vessels were sighted at Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Ayungin Shoal, Pag-asa (Thitu) Island and Panata (Lankiam Cay) on Monday.

Four were China Coast Guard (CCG) ships, 45 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) boats, five Chinese fishing vessels (CFV), and one ship operated by the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

Trinidad said Bajo de Masinloc was being swarmed by two CCG ships and 24 CMM vessels, while Ayungin Shoal had one CCG ship and five CFVs around it.

There were 19 CMM ships and one CCG vessel at Pag-asa Island, while two CMM ships were off Panata Island and a PLAN gray ship was off Lawak Island.

The number of vessels sighted on 15 April was more than the 45 monitored on 10 April. Trinidad said the AFP did not monitor any Chinese aggression despite the numbers.

He said Filipino fisherfolk were able to fish in the areas “unhampered” despite the Chinese presence.

“The guidance of the Commanderin-Chief, specifically [to] the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, [is] to ensure that our Filipino fishermen are unhampered in conducting their fishing in their traditional fishing grounds,” Trinidad said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy on Tuesday said the rotational and reprovisioning (RoRe) missions in the eight other features in the West Philippine Sea were going on non-stop, except at Ayungin Shoal.