Rappler.com-Feb 1
A United States-based think tank said increased patrols by the China Coast Guard (CCG) in the South China Sea amounted to a near-daily presence around key features in the disputed waterway last year. The Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), Luconia Shoals, Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal), Vanguard Bank, and Thitu Island (Pag-asa Island) were among the five areas most frequented by Chinese ships in 2022, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (AMTI-CSIS) in Washington, DC. Three of these features – Ayungin Shoal, Scarborough Shoal, and Pag-asa Island – are in the West Philippine Sea. In a report released Tuesday night, January 31 (Manila time), the AMTI-CSIS said it documented this trend using automatic identification system (AIS) data from commercial provider MarineTraffic. “China’s coast guard presence in the South China Sea is more robust than ever,” AMTI said, adding the number of days that CCH ship patrolled the five features “increased across the board.” At Ayungin Shoal, or Second Thomas Shoal, CCG patrols grew to cover 279 days in 2022 from 232 in 2020. In 2022 alone, the Philippines documented several incidents where Chinese ships harassed and shadowed Philippine vessels. This included China’s efforts to block resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal and its shadowing of a survey vessel last April. In November 2022, the Philippine government also protested China’s seizure of rocket debris from Philippine sailors when it cut a tow line of Philippine vessel retrieving the objects near Pag-asa island. Under the Marcos administration, as of January 3, 2023, the Department of Foreign Affairs has filed at least 68 notes verbales against China over incidents in the West Philippine Sea. Read more at:
https://www.rappler.com/nation/china-coast-guard-patrols-presence-west-philippine-sea-2022/
