PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD PHOTO

THE Philippine Navy on Tuesday confirmed the presence of 101 Chinese maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea (SCS), following reports of Beijing’s buildup across the contested waterway.

“The reports by the coast guard during their maritime domain awareness flight revealed that there were 101 maritime militia vessels,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent T. Trinidad, Navy spokesman for the South China Sea, told a news briefing. 

The figure falls below the usual range of 300 to 350 militia vessels typically operating in the area. “It is not unusual to have this number in our different features in the West Philippine Sea. These are maritime militias, not coast guard or People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) ships,” he added.

In the first week of December, the Navy tracked at least 20 Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal, including five coast guard ships and two PLA-N warships near Scarborough, one PLA-N and six coast guard vessels at Second Thomas Shoal and one PLA-N and two coast guard ships at Sabina.

Two PLA-N warships and one coast guard vessel were also monitored near Thitu Island or Pag-asa Island, about 528 kilometers off Palawan province.

Scarborough Shoal lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile (370 kilometer) exclusive economic zone and has been under Chinese control since 2012 after a standoff with Philippine forces.

Mr. Trinidad described China’s aggressive maritime actions as “fairly constant” and warned that the possibility of escalation persists as long as Beijing maintains its presence.

The South China Sea is a vital trade route handling about $3 trillion in annual shipping and remains a flashpoint in regional security. China has ignored a 2016 United Nations-backed arbitral ruling that voided its sweeping claims over the waterway. — Adrian H. Halili

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