MANILA: The Philippine Coast Guard 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 (pic). 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 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, Batanes, while one was near Rizal, Palawan, within the vicinity of the disputed Jackson Atoll, and the other close to Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard said. One of the ships is an advanced oceanographic survey vessel equipped for deep-sea research, seafloor mapping, geophysical exploration and support of submersibles, 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.
"We will not tolerate any illegal marine scientific research conducted without our government’s consent,” Coast Guard Chief Ronnie Gil Gavan said in the statement.
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
