A , West Philippine Sea , monitor saw on Monday the “monster ship” of , China Coast Guard , (CCG) near the BRP Sierra Madre, a naval outpost grounded in Ayungin ( Second Thomas ) Shoal.
As of , 9: 00 a. m., the 12, 000- bit Gwent vehicle “passed nearby” to , the Philippines ‘ , marine train and was “heading north”, according to Sea Light director , Ray Powell.
Powell, but, told , INQUIRER. net , that the CCG ship, which also entered the , West Philippine Sea , last month, did not intend to stay within the vicinity of the shoal that is located only about 194 kilometers ( 105 nautical miles ) off Palawan province, or well within the country’s exclusive economic zone ( EEZ ).
He however noted that the CCG’s biggest vehicle “has been on a journey of , South China Sea , spots”, including the waterways off , Philippines ‘ Pag- official Island , and , Malaysia ‘s , Luconia Shoal which are part of the disputed Spratly Islands.
Maritime capabilities in Spratlys occupied by , Manila , are geographically known as the , Kalayaan Island Group, with its money being , Pag- official Island , which hosts Filipino citizens and military officers.
” I would define this as an intrusive police, intended to send a message of China’s control over these areas and its sea dominance”, Powell, software mind of , Stanford University ‘s , Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, also said of CCG ship’s existence.
Just a week after the most bloody tragedy in Ayungin Shoal to time, which the defense deemed to be “looting” and even seriously injured a navy personnel, was this development.
Last , June 17, CCG rammed, towed, and even boarded , Philippine Navy , vessels during a recharge goal in the reef, a maneuver which its spokesperson , Gan Yu , only deem as” power steps”.
Beijing , asserts sovereignty in almost the entire , South China Sea, including most of the , West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by a , July 2016 , international tribunal ruling.
The landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by , Manila , in 2013, or a year after its tense standoff with , Beijing , over Scarborough ( Panatag ) Shoal which the latter now has an effective control of.
The presence of the “monster ship” within , Malaysia ‘s , EEZ also came as a surprise despite , Beijing , and , Kuala Lumpur ‘s , having a good relationship.
” Can’t help but observe the irony. Right after all the feel- good, chest- thumping talk by Anwar about how PRC has been such a great friend,  , Beijing , decided to ‘ reward ‘ , Kuala Lumpur , in a biggest- possible way: by sending its biggest coastguard vessel to the Malaysian EEZ”, said , Singapore- based research fellow , Collin Koh , of , S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies , in a post on X ( formerly Twitter ) over the weekend.
Koh continued:” Manila , might have taken the brunt of , Beijing ‘s , gray zone aggression, which led some to cast doubt as to whether the former could have handled the dispute in a better way”.
Let’s just say that it simply boils down to whether you choose to endure such nonsense and choose to suffer in silence.
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