MANILA — China’s largest coast guard ship has anchored in Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea in an attempt to intimidate the smaller Asian neighbor, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Saturday.
A 165-metre-long “monster vessel” belonging to the Chinese Coast Guard entered Manila’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone on July 2, coast guard spokesman Jay Tarriera told a news forum.
He said the PCG had warned the Chinese vessels that they were within the Philippine EEZ and asked about their intentions.
“This is intimidation by the China Coast Guard,” Tarriera said. “We are not going to back down and we are not going to be intimidated.”
The Chinese embassy in Manila and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and contact details for the Chinese coast guard are not publicly available.
Tarriera said the Chinese vessel, which also had small boats deployed, was anchored about 800 yards away from the PCG vessel.
In May, the PCG sent ships to Sabina Shoal to thwart small-scale Chinese reclamation, a claim China denies. China has been carrying out large-scale reclamation and building air force and other military facilities on several islands in the South China Sea, raising concerns in Washington and the region.
China claims most of the South China Sea, a vital conduit for $3 trillion in annual shipborne trade, as its own territory. Beijing rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that found China’s sweeping maritime claims have no legal basis.
The Philippines and China agreed on Tuesday following high-level talks that they need to “restore trust” and “rebuild self-confidence” to better manage their maritime disputes.
The Philippines has turned down an offer from the United States, a treaty ally, to support operations in the South China Sea even as it is at odds with China over the routing of resupply missions to Philippine forces in the disputed shallow waters.
