A Chinese navy missile craft shadowed a Philippine civilian ship on Friday in an unprecedented encounter that one analyst described as “alarming.”
The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel the BRP Datu Romapenet was en route to a South China Sea feature known as Half Moon Shoal to deliver supplies to fishermen.
Half Moon Shoal is situated at the eastern edge of the Spratly Islands and about 60 miles from the Philippine province of Palawan, well within the Southeast Asian country’s recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
According to the Philippines’ ABS-CBN News, which was onboard, the ship picked up a tail in the form of a Houbei-class (Type 22) guided-missile craft, easily identifiable by its wide camouflaged catamaran hull.
As it followed the Philippine ship, the 140-foot fast attack craft also pointed a laser at a fisheries bureau plane three times, the report said.
A Chinese coast guard vessel was reported to be operating nearby.
Chester Cabalza, founder of Manila-based think tank the International Development and Security Cooperation, told the news agency it was the first time a Type 22 had been spotted in the EEZ.
“This incident is alarming because a missile ship shadowed our BFAR ship,” Cabalza said, adding that it was a show of power intended to intimidate the Philippines.
WATCH: A Chinese missile vessel chased BRP Datu Romapenet – a civilian vessel under BFAR – nearby First Thomas Shoal (Bulig Shoal) in the West PH Sea.
ABS-CBN News was on board the BFAR vessel when the incident happened. | via @manahan_job pic.twitter.com/TOjvkysC2y
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) September 30, 2024
It is not uncommon for grey-hulled People’s Liberation Army Navy ships to operate in nearby waters. However, it is China’s coast guard that typically confronts Philippine vessels over disputed features, in some cases employing water cannons, ramming, and on at least one occasion aiming a military-grade laser at Philippine coast guard personnel.
However, direct engagement by a foreign naval warship could be viewed as a significant escalation in a region like the Spratlys, where tensions are already high.
China’s Foreign Ministry and the Armed Forces of the Philippines did not immediately respond to written requests for response.
Beijing claims sovereignty over most South China Sea features, citing what it says are historical rights. This puts China at odds with several neighbors, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
China’s dispute with the Philippines in particular has escalated as the U.S. ally under President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. contests Beijing’s sweeping claims, which were in 2016 ruled invalid by an independent arbitral tribunal at the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration.
China refused to participate in the proceedings and maintains the decision was invalid.
President Joe Biden has said the U.S. commitment to its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines is “ironclad.” The South China Sea was among the topics discussed during bilateral talks between U.S. and Chinese defense officials in Beijing earlier this month.
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