Hours after China agreed to deescalate maritime tensions with the Philippines, Beijing on Wednesday deployed the world’s largest coast guard vessel, dubbed “The Monster,” to Ayungin Shoal and to Panganiban Reef in the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement released after the 9th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM) in Manila, China likewise called on the Philippines “to stop maritime infringement and provocation at once” and to stabilize “China-Philippines relations from further deterioration.”
“Philippine side to…earnestly abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), return to the right track of properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation, jointly manage the situation at Ren’ai Jiao (Ayungin Shoal) with the Chinese side, promote the easing and cooling down of the maritime situation, and stabilize China-Philippines relations from further deterioration,” Beijing said.
For his part, former US Air Force official Ray Powell, who has been tracking the movement of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea, said the presence of “The Monster” suggests a strategic maneuver by China to assert its dominance and challenge Philippine sovereignty despite the BCM talks.
“China aims to force the Philippines to negotiate from a position of relative weakness in hopes of extracting concessions in exchange for de-escalation,” he said.
The Philippine Navy confirmed the 12,000-ton China Coast Guard 5901, the largest vessel of its kind in the world, was spotted again in Ayungin Shoal on Wednesday before moving to Panganiban Reef.
Ayungin Shoal lies about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan island.
Panganiban Reef, on the other hand, is located 250 kilometers (130 miles) west of Palawan.
On Tuesday, following the BCM talks, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro reaffirmed the country’s commitment to uphold its sovereignty and the 2016 arbitral ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Lazaro said the Philippines would “relentlessly protect its interests and uphold its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.”
Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad on Tuesday also said the Philippines was only exercising its sovereign rights in its own waters following reports of construction materials transported to Escoda Shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal.
“We can do anything that we wish to within our exclusive economic zone. These are actions that the Philippines will pursue if and when necessary,” Trinidad said.
“Suffice it to say that we will continue ensuring the integrity of our territory and the protection of our sovereignty,” he added.
CCG spokesperson Gan Yu accused the Philippines of bringing “a large amount of supplies and even suspected construction materials suggests that the Philippines intends to eventually establish a permanent facility” in Escoda Shoal.
Escoda Shoal, which lies about 139 kilometers (75 nautical miles) from the coast of Palawan, is the assembly point of Philippine vessels conducting resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal.