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PCG ships ‘intercepted’ by Chinese vessels near Ayungin, says analyst

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Michael Delizo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)" id="isPasted"></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA –  Chinese ships “intercepted” two Philippine Coast Guard patrol boats near the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, a private foreign monitor reported Sunday. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Based on satellite images from South China Sea monitor Sealight, a China Coast Guard ship and six Chinese maritime militia vessels were seen sailing close to PCG’s BRP Cabra and BRP Cape Engano as they passed 14 nautical miles east of Ayungin Shoal, said former US Air Force officer Ray Powell. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Chinese vessels included the 102-meter CCG 5203, he said. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“They have been intercepted by China Coast Guard 5203 and at least six maritime militia vessels, now closely shadowing,” Powell, director of Sealight, said of the Philippine vessels. </span></div><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" 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data-tweet-id="1809815713248604550"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Powel said the PCG ships had initially transmitted their automatic identification signals (AIS) around midnight, 18 nautical miles south of Ayungin.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">China then dispatched seven more militia vessels “to bolster blockade” around Ayungin, while the CCG 5203 went south and first “interdicted” the two Philippine ships around 7 a.m., Powell said on X. </span></div><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" 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data-tweet-id="1809825937690882337"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">BRP Cabra and BRP Engano were later observed moving away from Ayungin to the southeast, towards Escoda Shoal around 3 p.m. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">CCG 5203 continued to shadow the Philippine vessels, while the other militia ships maintained their positions near the reef. </span></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17203974752501720397472209.jpeg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Also called Second Thomas Shoal, Ayungin is among the hotspots in the West Philippine Sea where the Philippines grounded its warship BRP Sierra Madre to serve as the country’s naval outpost. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela has yet to respond to media questions to discuss Sealight’s reports.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">In an interview with ANC on Monday, Powell said it was unclear from the ship tracking where the PCG vessels planned to go.</p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&quot;They may have simply planned to probe China&#x27;s defenses and then return,&quot; he said.</p><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3061555"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><div><span style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)" id="isPasted"></span><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>‘NO GRAY AREA NOW’</strong></span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But in a media briefing over the weekend, Tarriela said that China’s strategies can no longer be considered just gray zone tactics, or below military armed conflict.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Ang tawag na natin dito is illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive action of Chinese government,” Tarriela told reporters. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“There’s no gray area now in the West Philippine Sea. It has been very obvious, ang ginagawa nila ay violation of the international law, coercion, deception and basically, harassment in deploying of their vessels illegally,” he added. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The PCG, through its transparency efforts, continues to document the movements of China, which will be readily available as evidence for the government’s legal actions, Tarriela said. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“We have tremendous trust in our legal luminaries how they can make use of that. But again, what we can just provide are the actual evidence, as to how they’re going to make use of it, it’s up to them to decide,” he said. </span></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/7/philippines-japan-on-verge-of-key-defense-pact-613">Philippines, Japan on verge of key defense pact</a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/7/china-s-refusal-to-pay-afp-damages-another-irritant-in-manila-beijing-ties-expert-2121">China&#x27;s refusal to pay AFP damages another &#x27;irritant&#x27; in Manila-Beijing ties: expert</a></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>A China Coast Guard ship, along with six Chinese maritime militia vessels, “intercepted” two Philippine Coast Guard boats near the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, a private foreign monitor reported Sunday.</p>

A China Coast Guard ship, along with six Chinese maritime militia vessels, “intercepted” two Philippine Coast Guard boats near the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, a private foreign monitor reported Sunday.