(UPDATE) AT least 27 Chinese ships were monitored in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in what a maritime security expert said was a "major maritime militia rotation" by Beijing, just days after the Philippines and China agreed to ease tensions in the region through diplomacy.
The 27 Qiong Sansha Yu-class ships were spotted south of the Spratly Islands and east of Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag or Scarborough Shoal).
Qiong Sansha Yu-class ships are professional maritime militia vessels operated by the state-owned Sansha Fisheries Development Company that often work in tandem with the China Coast Guard (CCG) in enforcing the communist country's territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the WPS.
"I think it's a rotation so other [Chinese] militia ships who've been on station for a while will head home once they've had a little overlap," retired United States Air Force Col. Raymond Powell told The Manila Times.
The Spratly Islands are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea that lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. The approximately 45 islands, cays, reefs and shoals in the archipelago all contain structures occupied by military forces from Malaysia, China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam. Additionally, Brunei has claimed an exclusive economic zone.
Bajo de Masinloc is also a disputed territory claimed by Manila through the 1734 Velarde map, while Beijing claims it through the disputed nine-dash line. It was administered by the Philippines as part of its Zambales province until 2012, when a standoff was initiated by China through the use of warships against fishing boats, resulting in effective capture by the Chinese maritime forces.
Last Wednesday, January 17, the Philippines and China convened the 8th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea in Shanghai.
During the discussions, the two countries held a "candid and in-depth exchange of views" on the situation in the South China Sea.
The Chinese foreign ministry said both sides agreed "that maintaining communication and dialogue is essential to maintaining maritime peace and stability."
The two countries further "agreed that continuous dialogue is important to keep peace and stability at sea" and "assured each other of their mutual commitment to avoid escalation of tensions."
They said they would work to improve their "maritime communication mechanism" to properly handle emergencies, especially the situation on the Ren'ai Shoal, the Chinese name for Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, where numerous encounters have been recorded between maritime vessels of Manila and Beijing.
Philippine Marine personnel are stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, which was deliberately run aground at Ayungin in 1999.
Philippine ships on routine Rotation and Resupply (RoRe) missions to Sierra Madre encountered Chinese blockades numerous times.
Last year, CCG vessels were accused of using lasers and water cannons to prevent Philippine supply boats from completing their mission. China said the root cause of the incidents in Ayungin was the Philippine government's continued defiance of a consensus about the transportation of large-scale construction materials to BRP Sierra Madre with the purpose of permanently occupying the reef.
On Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman on the West Philippine Sea, Commo. Jay Tarriela, said China should honor its commitments made in the BCM to "avoid escalation of tensions" in the South China Sea.
"I hope China will now know the meaning of commitment and sincerity, that whatever you promised and agreed upon on the conversation table should also be implemented on the ground," Tarriela said.
"On our part, we will never hesitate to continue exposing their aggression and provocative actions that heighten the tension in the West Philippine Sea if ever there will still be," he added.
Also on Friday, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian emphasized that "peace and stability" in the SCS served the common interest of the two parties and the "common goal of the countries in the region."
Read The Rest at :
