The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Friday, Feb. 28, that it was verifying intrusive military drills conducted by China in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) while the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) barred a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship from getting closer to the coast of Zambales.
Col. Xerxes Trinidad, chief of AFP public affairs office, said they were determining the veracity of reports which stated that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) mobilized its armed forces for the exercise in the waters of Bajo de Masinloc.
“We’re confirming this ‘exercise’ by the PLA-N if there is indeed one,” Trinidad told reporters when asked about the matter.
In a statement issued by the PLA on Thursday, Feb. 27, it said that its Southern Theater Command organized its naval and air forces to conduct “combat-readiness patrols” in the waters, airspace, and surrounding areas of Huangyan Island, the name it calls Bajo de Masinloc.
Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales, within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, but China claims it as part of its territorial waters.
Moreover, the PLA said that the CCG also conducted law enforcement patrols in the waters and surrounding areas of Bajo de Masinloc.
But Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for WPS, said the PCG ship BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) prevented CCG ship “3301” from advancing closer to the Philippine shore.
Tarriela said CCG ship 3301 was located approximately 105 to 110 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales on Thursday.
“The PCG has actively communicated with the China Coast Guard vessel via radio, clearly indicating that its presence constitutes a violation of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” he said.
Aside from this, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said 45 PLA aircraft, 14 PLA-Navy vessels and another ship operated around Taiwan’s waters on Thursday.
China also reportedly conducted military drills off Tasman Sea between the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, worrying officials from Canberra and Wellington.