Philippines accuses Chinese ships of illegal marine research
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A satellite image of fishing vessels at the entrance, which is blocked by a floating barrier, to the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on April 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said four Chinese vessels were conducting illegal marine scientific research in its waters and threatened to deploy aircraft and boats to repel them.
“PCG has determined that they are conducting illegal marine scientific research without the legal authority or prior consent of the Philippine government, in clear violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” according to a statement posted on Facebook by Coast Guard spokesman Rear-Admiral Jay Tarriela.
The Philippines will deploy aircraft and vessels to drive away the Chinese ships, he said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement, urged the Philippines to “immediately cease its dangerous actions” and keep its distance from Chinese boats.
It said the Chinese research vessels “are conducting normal scientific research activities and navigating normally in waters under Chinese jurisdiction, in accordance with Chinese domestic law and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
Two of the Chinese vessels were spotted off Itbayat, a municipality in the northernmost province of Batanes, while one was near Rizal, Palawan, within the vicinity of the disputed Jackson Atoll, and the other close to Scarborough Shoal, said PCG.
One of the ships is an advanced oceanographic survey vessel equipped for deep-sea research, seafloor mapping, geophysical exploration and support of submersibles, Rear-Adm Tarriela said.
Another is the world’s first intelligent drone mothership, built to deploy and control more than 50 unmanned aerial, surface and underwater vehicles simultaneously for comprehensive three-dimensional ocean surveys, according to the Philippine statement.
PCG chief Ronnie Gil Gavan said in the statement: “We will not tolerate any illegal marine scientific research conducted without our government’s consent.”
The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway believed to be rich in natural resources.
The South-east Asian nation has bolstered military ties with the US to help safeguard its claims in the disputed area, leading to repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships. BLOOMBERG
