New satellite imagery shows the Philippines continuing to monitor China’s presence in its maritime zone, including the movements of a colossal Chinese coast guard (CCG) ship nicknamed the “Monster.”
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Philippines coast guard (PCG) with emailed requests for comment.
Why It Matters
The Philippines has long complained about CCG activity within its exclusive economic zone. Newsweek‘s map (below), based on self-reported GPS data captured by the Global Fishing Watch website, shows the movements of the large vessel inside the Philippines EEZ but outside of its territorial sea, which typically extends 12 nautical miles from the coast.
International maritime law grants coastal states an EEZ extending up to 200 nautical miles (230 miles), under which they enjoy a sovereign right to underwater resources. Any country is permitted to sail its ships through the EEZ of another nation, but Manila says Beijing’s loitering and patrols, hundreds of miles from its shores, are a breach of the norm.
What To Know
“Today marks the 16th day of the China Coast Guard’s illegal deployment of its vessel off the coast of Zambales,” Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote Monday on X (formerly Twitter). Zambales is a province in the Philippines’ Central Luzon region.
Tarriela lauded the “brave men and women of the Philippine coast guard” who have continued to broadcast radio challenges to and shadow the Chinese vessels.
These include one of the world’s two biggest coast guard ships, CGG-5901—or the “Monster.” Displacing 12,000 tons and running 540 feet from bow to stern, it dwarfs its Philippine counterparts.
Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem
The “Monster” has been operating in the Philippine EEZ for most of the nearly three weeks since it set sail from China’s Hainan province.
The Global Fishing Watch data showed the behemoth inching closer to the Philippines last week. On Sunday, it switched off its automatic identification system—an action out of line with International Maritime Organization safety protocols. This makes it harder to detect.
Photos captured by European Space Agency satellites, however, showed it continuing its patrol within the EEZ, with Philippine coast guard cutter BRP Gabriela Silang less than 700 meters (2,297 feet) away.
CGC-5901 was situated some 95 nautical miles (109 miles) off Zambales as of Sunday at 9 p.m., Tarriela said.
The U.S. Navy issued a statement Saturday saying its Carrier Strike Group 1, led by the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier the Carl Vinson, had concluded two days of joint exercises with a Philippine navy guided missile frigate and offshore patrol vessel in an undisclosed part of the South China Sea.
The U.S. and the Philippines share a seven-decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty, which the Biden administration has called “ironclad,” affirming it extends to the entire South China Sea.
What People Are Saying
Jay Tarriela, Philippines coast guard spokesperson, wrote on X: “It is also important to highlight that the deployment of our white hull vessels to address China’s unlawful presence demonstrates the government’s intent to deescalate tensions and pursue a peaceful resolution to these violations of international law. The Philippine government’s use of PCG assets in this context aims not to provoke China, but to resolve differences through rational discussion and adherence to international law.”
Open-source researcher MT Anderson wrote on X: “Coast guard vessel 5902 (AKA the Monster) continues illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive behavior deep within the Philippine EEZ. The Philippines’ BRP Gabriela Silang continues to patrol and provide deterrence to the CCG vessel, only 693 meters away. It would be a short sail for U.S. Carrier Strike Group 1 to say hello…”
What’s Next?
Neither Beijing nor Manila is likely to cede ground on the South China Sea dispute anytime soon.
While Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has stressed he does not seek confrontation with China, his administration has stepped up its military modernization program, including last year’s purchase of BrahMos cruise missiles from India.
The Philippines is also pursuing the U.S. Army’s Mid-Range Capability, or “Typhon,” missile system to strengthen its maritime defenses, prompting warnings from Beijing.
