‘Provocative, unacceptable’: Philippines alarmed as China deploys ‘monster’ warship in its EEZ

The Philippines mentioned China’s deployment of its largest coast guard vessel inside Manila’s unique financial zone (EEZ) was alarming and clearly meant to intimidate fishermen working round a contested shoal within the South China Sea.

“We have been shocked concerning the growing aggression being confirmed by the Individuals’s Republic of China in deploying the monster ship,” Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya mentioned in a press convention on Tuesday.

Manila has lodged a protest over the presence of the 165 m (541 ft) lengthy vessel Chinese language coast guard vessel 5901, which was noticed 77 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales province, and demanded its withdrawal from the EEZ, Malaya mentioned.

“It’s an escalation and provocative,” Malaya mentioned, saying the presence the vessel was “unlawful” and “unacceptable”.

The Philippine Coast Guard mentioned it had deployed two of its largest vessels to drive away the Chinese language vessel.

Chinese language international ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun mentioned on Monday that its coast guard’s “patrol and regulation enforcement actions” have been “affordable, lawful and past reproach”.

Tensions between the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, and Beijing have escalated over the previous two years as a consequence of overlapping claims within the South China Sea.

In 2016, a global tribunal dominated China’s claims to massive swathes of the disputed waterway had no foundation, a choice Beijing rejects.

China’s expansive claims overlap with the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The disputed waterway is a strategic transport route by means of which about $3 trillion of annual commerce strikes.