MANILA – Two Chinese vessels from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) were spotted passing through Basilan Strait within the Zamboanga Peninsula on Thursday.
According to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad, the Naval Forces Western particularly sighted PLAN’s training ship with bow number 83 and amphibious transport dock with bow number 999.
“In accordance with standard operating procedure, the AFP dispatched BRP Domingo Deluana (PG905) to shadow/monitor the passage of the two PLA Navy vessels. Our escorting vessel also issued a standard challenge to the Chinese warships,” Trinidad said in a statement.
“One of the vessels, Qi Jiquang (BN 83) responded that it was conducting normal navigation from its last port of call in Dili, Timor Leste en route to Dalian, China,” he added.
Trinidad stated that, even if Basilan Strait is recognized as an international sea lane where innocent passage of other countries is allowed, the AFP is just keeping its vigilance to secure the Philippine waters.
“The AFP remains vigilant in monitoring all activities within our maritime zones and is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our waters,” Trinidad said.
He added: “We continue to uphold international maritime laws while safeguarding our territorial integrity.”
Confrontations between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea have grown more tense and frequent during the past year, including China’s Coast Guard using water cannons and accusations by Manila that it had rammed Philippine vessels.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, is located 124 nautical miles west of Zambales and within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled that China’s claims over the South China Sea have no legal basis, a decision that Beijing does not recognize./PN
