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China’s research ship meandering in ‘zigzag pattern’ in Escoda: PH Navy

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Michael Delizo

ABS-CBN News

<div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3065093"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><div><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA – China’s multi-purpose oceanographic research vessel Ke Xue San Hao has remained near Escoda Shoal, navigating in a zigzag pattern that appears to be dubious, the Philippine Navy said on Tuesday.</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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Latest monitoring showed that Ke Xue San Hao was at around 20 nautical miles south of Escoda, as of Tuesday morning, with the Philippine side continuously challenging its presence, according to Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.</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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“A zigzag pattern or track indicates something else,” 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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/4/ph-us-japan-australia-slam-china-over-destabilizing-conduct-in-south-china-sea-1212">PH, US, Japan, Australia slam China over &#x27;destabilizing conduct&#x27; in South China Sea</a></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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Escoda is a tiny reef, just around 70 nautical miles from Palawan island. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier reported suspected reclamation attempts allegedly by China in the area, which prompted the prolonged deployment of BRP Teresa Magbanua there since mid-April. </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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Trinidad said the foreign vessel’s presence in Philippine waters could no longer be considered as innocent passage, as allowed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. </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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Data from the Dark Vessel Detection Program indicates that the vessel departed from China’s military base in Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) on July 26 and has since passed through several critical locations, including Ayungin Shoal, Raja Soliman Shoal, Bulig Shoal, Hasa-Hasa Shoal, Abad Santos Shoal, and eventually reached Escoda.</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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/8/navy-official-sings-in-your-head-as-china-insists-on-new-model-1443">Navy official sings ‘in your head’ as China insists on ‘new model’</a></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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17229222688351722922265795.png" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>PCG</em></span></span></span></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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“’Pag nagsi-zigzag na, may ginagawa kang ibang bagay. Kumbaga sa barangay natin, kapag ang tao paali-aigid, may masamang intensyon iyon. Kung napadaan ka lang, [dapat] tuloy-tuloy ka lang,” Trindiad 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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“It is not normal for a ship to be there and her track is not continuous and expeditious,” 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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Ke Xue San Hao, designed by the Marine Design and Research Institute of China and constructed by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., is equipped with advanced technology that enables comprehensive marine environment observation, detection, sampling, and analysis, according to PCG’s Commodore Jay Tarriela. </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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The same vessel conducted surveys in the resource-rich Philippine Rise in several previous instances. </span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1722922225354viber_image_2024-08-06_13-20-41-804.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">China research ship Ke Xue San Hao. <em>PCG</em></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">China’s massive coast guard ship, dubbed The Monster, has also been in the Escoda since early July. </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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“We’re watching them, they’re watching us,” Trinidad 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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/8/china-responds-to-monster-ship-claims-says-sabina-shoal-not-in-philippines-eez-1951">China responds to &#x27;monster ship&#x27; claims, says Sabina Shoal not in Philippines&#x27; EEZ</a></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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Trinidad said Manila can only monitor the presence of the foreign ships in the West Philippine Sea, but the Philippine Navy, the PCG and the Department of Foreign Affairs are now in close coordination with regards to the Chinese research vessel.</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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“We don’t want to escalate the situation,” 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="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">China has reclaimed at least 300 hectares in the South China, including Panganiban Reef and Johnson South Reef (Mabini Reef) in the West Philippine Sea, according to Trinidad. </span></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/8/afp-says-it-will-not-dignify-china-s-new-model-claim-2148">AFP says it ‘will not dignify’ China’s ‘new model’ claim</a></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>China’s multi-purpose research vessel has remained near Escoda Shoal, navigating in a zigzag pattern that appears to be dubious, the Philippine Navy said on Tuesday.</p>

China’s multi-purpose research vessel has remained near Escoda Shoal, navigating in a zigzag pattern that appears to be dubious, the Philippine Navy said on Tuesday.

China’s research vessel meandering in ‘zigzag pattern’ in Escoda: PH Navy

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China’s research vessel meandering in ‘zigzag pattern’ in Escoda: PH Navy

Michael Delizo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 06, 2024 01:39 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 06, 2024 01:56 PM PHT

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