China's largest coast guard vessel, CCG 5901, named " ;the monster" due to its size, entered the waters of the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea (SCS), TV channel GMA News reported.
Philippine Coast Guard Commander Jay Tariela said CCG 5901 was spotted in the Escoda Shoal area, where the Philippine Coast Guard maintains a presence. “We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated,” he said.
Tariela noted that the Philippine Coast Guard vessel Teresa Magbanua was able to contact the Chinese ship by radio. "We dispute their presence on the radio, telling them that the place where they dropped anchor is actually part of our country's exclusive economic zone and that they have no jurisdiction in the area. They say they also have sovereignty over those waters and that they are also conducting a maritime law enforcement operation,” he added.
CCG 5509 with a displacement of 12 thousand tons is the largest coast guard ship in the world.
Following the results of the ninth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultative Mechanism on the South China Sea held on Tuesday at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers in Manila, China and the Philippines recognized the need to create conditions for dialogue to reduce tensions in the region. Both sides agreed that continued dialogue based on mutual respect between two equal sovereign states contributes to peace and stability. They agreed to hold the tenth meeting of the mechanism in China to maintain the positive momentum in the negotiations.
One of the most recent serious incidents in the South China Sea occurred on June 17, when a Chinese boat collided with a Philippine supply ship in waters near Ayungin Reef. According to the China Coast Guard Administration, “the Chinese Coast Guard has taken control measures against the Philippine vessel in accordance with the law”. As GMA News reported, seven soldiers were injured while a Philippine ship was on a supply and rotation mission in the disputed Ayungin Reef area. In addition, eight firearms were seized from them.
China has been in dispute for several decades with several countries over the territorial ownership of individual islands in the South China Sea, on the shelf of which significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered. First of all, it is about the archipelago of Xisha (Paracel Islands), Nansha (Spratly) and Huangyan (Scarborough Reef). These disputes affect Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.