Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea drops to 178, PH navy reports

This handout photo taken on December 2, 2023 and released on December 3 by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows an aerial view of Chinese vessels gathered by Whitsun Reef, around 320 kilometres (200 miles) west of Palawan Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy monitored 178 Chinese vessels in various locations within the West Philippine Sea (WPS) from September 24 to 30, much lower than the 251 ships recorded in the previous week. 

Of the 178 Chinese vessels, 28 were Chinese Coast Guard vessels, 17 were People’s Liberation Army Navy ships, 131 were Chinese maritime militia vessels, and two were research survey vessels, based on the Navy’s data released on Tuesday. 

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Fourteen of these vessels were spotted in Bajo de Masinloc, 24 in Ayungin Shoal, 50 in Pag-asa Islands, one on Parola Island, six on Kota Island, two on Likas Island, one in Lawak, five in PanAta Island, two in Rizal Reef, 27 in Sabina Shoal, 16 in Juan Felipe Reef, and 30 in Iroquois Reef.

READ: West Philippine Sea: Largest presence of Chinese ships logged – Navy

However, the Navy spokesperson for the WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, explained that it is too early to tell what caused the decrease in the number of Chinese vessels. 

“These are raw figures based on a one-week monitoring, it is too early to attribute the decrease to any particular event,” he told reporters in a Viber message.

READ: Bad weather may cause decrease of Chinese militia ships in West PH Sea

“We have to be prepared for the ‘long game’ in the West Philippine Sea and look at the strategic or bigger picture. Amid all of these, your Navy and your AFP will contribute to performing its mandate of ensuring the integrity of our national territory,” Trinidad added. 

Last week, the Navy monitored 251 Chinese vessels in the region, surpassing the previous record of 207 ships recorded from September 3 to 9.

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