Philippine ship shadows Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrolled near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Sunday, where it spotted Chinese vessels and ordered them to leave amid what it described as China's “excessive maritime claims” in the waterway.

- By Adrian H. Halili and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio Reporters

THIS PHOTO taken by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows one of the two Chinese coast guard vessels shadowed by the BRP Cabra about 26 nautical miles (48.15 kilometers) east of Scarborough Shoal, Nov. 23.

(Courtesy of PCG)

In a statement, Manila’s coast guard said that its patrol ship BRP Cabra shadowed two Chinese coast guard vessels about 26 nautical miles (48.15 kilometers) east of Scarborough, a vast fishing lagoon that lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and was seized by China in 2012 following a standoff with Philippine forces.

The 44-meter Philippine ship followed and repeatedly issued radio challenges to 134-meter and 111-meter Chinese patrol vessels, citing violations against the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the 2016 arbitral ruling by a United Nations-backed court that PCG said “invalidated China’s excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

The PCG “will continue routine and legitimate patrols to protect national sovereignty and prevent the normalization of unlawful Chinese presence,” it said, adding that its patrols are aimed at asserting Philippine sovereignty peacefully without raising tensions.