The Philippine Navy confirmed on Tuesday that it monitored a significant presence of at least 20 official Chinese vessels—including Coast Guard cutters and Navy warships—across key features of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) during the first week of December.
Navy spokesperson Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, speaking at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, detailed the sightings, which highlight Beijing’s continued assertion of control over waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The reported tally of state vessels included:
- Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc): Five Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships and two People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) warships. Panatag Shoal, only about 220 kilometers from Luzon, has been largely under Beijing’s control since a 2012 standoff.
- Ayungin Shoal: Six CCG and one PLA-N ship.
- Pag-asa Island: One CCG and two PLA-N warships were seen near the largest Filipino-inhabited outpost in the Spratlys.
- Escoda Shoal: Two CCG and one PLA-N ship.
In addition to the official fleet, Trinidad disclosed that a staggering 101 Chinese maritime militia vessels were spotted in the WPS over the weekend.