Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 27) — Chinese ships have entered and left Julian Felipe Reef (international name: Witsun Reef) in the West Philippine Sea since late last year as suggested by satellite images released by American tech company Simularity.
“A large number of probable Chinese ships have been mooring, arriving, and departing at the Whitsun Reef at the WPS since mid-2020,” Simularity said Friday, but noting it also documented their presence at the area a month prior. The reef is close to Bataraza, Palawan, and is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Images taken in December appeared to show moored fishing vessels, with a width of up to 200 meters. Their formation ruled out fishing as possible purpose of stay, Simularity pointed out.
“At an average width of 10 meters per ship, that’s a collection of 20 ships,” Simularity said. “In this configuration, fishing is impossible,” it added.
While the number of moored ships in Philippine waters dropped “briefly” in early February, it is still “substantial,” the tech firm said.
Between March 23 and 24, Simularity estimates at least 200 vessels at the reef, adding most of which are possibly fishing ships, while a few are believed to be Chinese Coast Guard vessels. Of this group, one vessel was seen with its fishing nets out this month, it added.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea and the Philippine Coast Guard reported on March 20 the presence of around 220 Chinese vessels.
On March 24, Armed Forces chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana told lawmakers 183 Chinese vessels were at the reef.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea earlier said the vessels were part of China’s maritime militia, a claim which the East Asia giant has denied. The Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a statement on Monday that these were fishing vessels taking shelter in the area “due to rough sea conditions.”
Early this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic protest and demanded that China remove its vessels from Julian Felipe Reef while the Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed more naval units to the area.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte brought up the issue and reaffirmed the country’s 2016 arbitral win to Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian in their recent meeting, according to Malacañang.
China insists it owns almost the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, despite the decision of an international tribunal that it has no legitimate historical claims to the WPS.
EXCLUSIVE: Video shows flotilla of Chinese ships around Julian Felipe Reef
