MANILA, Philippines—A China Coast Guard (CCG) ship conducting a “resupply cruise” to its outposts in the Spratly Islands also passed near five features of the West Philippine Sea.
West Philippine Sea monitor Ray Powell said that the 8,000-ton Sansha 2 Hao first passed off Pag-asa (Thitu) Island on Sunday morning. It was accompanied by the San Sha Zhi Fa 301.
Powell added that the two ships also traversed the waters near Patag (Flat) Island, Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, and Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
READ: West PH Sea: China ‘monster’ ship came much nearer to El Nido, Palawan – PCG
As of Monday, the two ships were within 60 nautical miles of Malaysia’s coastline “to assert the southern extent of Beijing’s maritime claims,” according to Ray Powell, program head of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
“This mission has two purposes — to deliver supplies to Beijing’s Spratly Island bases, and to mark the extent of its maritime claims,” Powell told INQUIRER.net.
Last week, the CCG’s biggest vessel, dubbed the “monster ship,” also conducted what Powell called an “intrusive patrol” in similar features.
READ: ‘Monster ship’ in West PH Sea part of China’s intimidation tactics – expert
The 13,000-ton Chinese ship was even spotted only 34 nautical miles away off El Nido, Palawan, a development that sent shockwaves across social media platforms like Facebook.
Such actions align with Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by the arbitral award issued in July 2016.
The landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, a year after its tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag Shoal, whose lagoon the latter now effectively controls.
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Aside from the Philippines, China’s ten-dash line in the South China Sea overlaps with other Spratly Island claimants such as Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and even Taiwan, a self-ruled territory that Beijing deems to be a renegade province subject to reunification.
Maritime features in Spratly Islands occupied by Manila are collectively known as the Kalayaan Island Group.
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