Chinese ships in WPS just move elsewhere in Phl EEZ

MANILA — Chinese ships seen in areas of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) only to relocate when called out is "evidence of [their] shell game in the Spratly Islands," a Washington-based think tank said in a new report released Monday.

This comes after satellite imagery found that over 150 vessels were anchored in the Pagkakaisa (Union) Banks within the EEZ on October 17, after only a handful were present months before on August 8.

In its report, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative tracked the "there and back again" movement of Chinese vessels in the Philippine EEZ and said that the continued presence of Chinese militia in the country's waters remains constant even when the number of ships decreases.

When engaged in a radio challenge by Philippine authorities or in diplomatic protests by the government, they said, Chinese vessels disperse and then amass again somewhere else in Philippine waters.

Satellite images included in the report show that the number of ships at Iroquois Reef has fallen since the Philippine protest, but it "also suggests that many of those vessels likely headed back to Union Banks," where numbers are now steadily picking back up to the levels seen earlier in March.

"When international outcry or patrols by other claimants convince them to leave a disputed feature, they disperse to nearby reefs for a time. But their overall numbers in the Spratlys remain consistent," the AMTI said.

"As was apparent in the aftermath of the mass deployment at Whitsun Reef, Chinese vessels leaving one contested area most often end up at another."

To recall, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea reported in March that 220 Chinese fishing vessels, were spotted at Julian Felipe Reef.

Iroquois Reef is located at the southern end of Recto (Reed) Bank, an area northeast of the Spratly Islands thought to be rich in oil and gas.