The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Saturday that China Coast Guard vessel 5901, often dubbed Beijing’s “monster ship,” continues to unlawfully operate near Philippine waters.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Commodore Jay Tarriela, stated that the vessel was operating at a distance of 60 to 70 nautical miles from Philippine territory. Despite multiple radio calls from the PCG’s BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), challenging the Chinese vessel’s lack of legal authority to patrol the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), it continued its activities.
“The PCG stresses that the Philippines has full authority in these waters, based on the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” Tarriela emphasized.
This development comes as the Philippine Navy conducts routine exercises in the WPS. The exercises, focused on improving the operational proficiency of both personnel and assets, are taking place near Bajo de Masinloc.
Tarriela noted that this is the closest Chinese deployment to the Philippine EEZ. In addition to vessel 5901, smaller Chinese ships have also been spotted near Capones Island in Zambales in recent days.