Chinese warship circling Scarborough Shoal
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 10) -- The Philippine Coast Guard said Monday it has spotted a Chinese warship among vessels recently circling the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
PCG personnel on board the BRP Malabrigo patrolled the rock feature in the South China Sea from Thursday to Sunday -- according to PCG Spokesperson Cmd. Armand Balilo.
During its rounds, the PCG spotted two China Coast Guard vessels, two militia boats, and a naval ship near the rock feature. Balilo said the vessels were found within 7 to 12 nautical miles off the shoal.
Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, is located around 120 nautical miles west of Luzon -- well-within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. It is claimed by both Manila and Beijing.
Beijing seized control of the shoal in 2012 after a standoff between Philippines and China, prompting Manila to seek international arbitration. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in July 2016 invalidated China's sweeping claims over the South China Sea. The tribunal ruled the shoal is a common fishing ground, adding that China has violated Filipino fishermen's rights to fish there.
While Chinese fishing and militia boats are usually seen near Scarborough Shoal, the presence of the Chinese warship could raise tensions in the area.
The coast guard's report comes on the heels of what President Duterte's special envoy to China Ramon Tulfo says is the Chinese government's pullout of about a hundred vessels in the vicinity of Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island.
The military's Western Command also confimed the downscaling of Chinese presence near Pag-asa, with only 18 vessels spotted near the island as of last week.
In April, the Philippines heavily protested the swarming of over 200 Chinese vessels around Pag-asa, internationally known as Thitu, one of the biggest islands in the disputed Spratlys in the South China Sea and seat of the Kalayaan municipal government under the province of Palawan.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been criticized for pursuing friendly ties with China despite the long-standing maritime dispute, at that time asked China to "lay off Pag-asa because I have my soldiers there," adding that the island "belongs to us."
