The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday, Jan. 14, asked the Philippine government to stop its “false accusations” regarding Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea, stressing that the presence of an alleged “monster ship” from China in the disputed waters was “fully justified.”
CCG-5901, a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship nicknamed "The Monster", is detected by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) at 54 nautical miles off the coast of Capones Island in Zambales on Jan. 4, 2025. (PCG photo)
This was China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s answer to National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya’s remarks about China’s “increasing aggression” in sending the 541-feet long Chinese coastguard vessel 5901, which the Philippines referred to as the “monster ship.”
“China Coast Guard (CCG) conducts patrols and law enforcement activities in relevant waters in accordance with the law, which is fully justified,” Guo said.
“We call on the Philippines once again to immediately stop all infringement activities, provocations and false accusations, and stop all its actions that jeopardize peace and stability and complicate the situation in the South China Sea,” he added.
Malaya also called the latest actions “provocative,” “illegal,” and “unacceptable.”
Manila lodged a protest over the monster ship’s presence.
But Guo insisted that China’s “sovereignty and rights and interests in the South China Sea were established in the long course of history,” stressing that such claims “are solidly grounded in history and the law and compliant with the international law and practice.”
Tensions between the Philippines and China have increased in the past two years after the Duterte administration that took a friendlier stance to Beijing’s aggression.
President Marcos, however, took a stronger stand against disputes in the region, backed by a 2016 Arbitral Tribunal victory that his predecessor has set aside.
China’s expansive claims in the resource-rich region overlap with the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.