The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday demanded the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) to maintain a safe distance from Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“The PCG has firmly communicated to CCG-3304 the necessity of maintaining a safe distance from Filipino fishing boats, stressing that its presence poses a significant threat to the safety of both the fishermen and their vessels,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
According to the PCG official, CCG vessel number 3304 continues to rove the waters off Zambales as of Friday morning.
“The Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP Magbanua, has been actively safeguarding the safety and security of Filipino fishermen in the waters off Zambales while simultaneously addressing the illegal presence of the Chinese Coast Guard vessel CCG-3304,” Tarriela said.
The PCG distributed food packs to local fishermen in the area while demanding that China vacate the WPS as the latter lacks legal authority to operate in the area.
“BRP Magbanua emphasized the Philippines’ sovereign rights over these waters, approximately 103 nautical miles from Zambales, reinforcing that Filipino nationals have the legal right to fish in this area as outlined in Republic Act 12064, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” Tarriela said.
The presence of the United States’ Typhon missile system in the Philippines alarms China due to the possible entry of more defense systems from the Western power, an analyst said on Saturday.
UP Asian Center senior lecturer Richard Heydarian said the single battery of a Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) launcher “is not gonna change everything,” but China’s angst is based on what could happen in the future.
“The real fear of China is that’s just the opening. That if we feel we’re threatened, it’s not only gonna be one typhon. It’s gonna allow America to preposition their best weapon systems,” said Heydarian in a Saturday news forum.
“The plan is not only in the northern Philippines but the plan is to bring up an arch of missile defense systems from Southern Japan to Guam, to northern Philippines and Taiwan. Once you do that … If that happens, good luck to China invading Taiwan. Talagang bugbog sarado. Even before the war happens, bugbog sarado sila (China),” he added.
China is alarmed about the deployment of the US Typhon missile system in the Philippines, fearing it could lead to a greater US military presence, according to analyst Richard Heydarian.
While a single Typhon battery isn’t a game-changer in itself, China’s anxiety stems from the potential for future deployments. Heydarian explained that China worries this is just the beginning, and that the US might preposition more advanced weaponry in the region if it feels threatened. He described a US plan to establish a missile defense arc from southern Japan, through Guam and the northern Philippines, to Taiwan.
He argued that such a system would severely hinder any potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, effectively crippling their chances even before a conflict began.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier issued a strong challenge to China, saying his government will remove the US Typhon missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its “aggressive and coercive behavior” in the West Philippine Sea.
“Let’s make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior—then I’ll return the Typhon missiles,” President Marcos said in an interview in Cebu.
The US military deployed the Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines last year as part of an annual joint exercise, and Filipino troops have been training with it, with plans to acquire the system as a means to protect maritime interests.
Beijing’s forces have harassed Philippine vessels in recent months in waters within Manila’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
The Philippine Army said this week another of its platoons would be trained on using the Typhon system in February, ahead of annual joint drills with key ally the United States.
The week-long training will be conducted alongside troops from the US Army Pacific’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force as part of the Combined Arms Training Exercise (CATEX).
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “PCG demands CCG to maintain safe distance from Filipino fishing boats.”