South China Sea: Philippine coast guard boosts presence in disputed waters

In an effort to counter China’s attempts at encroaching on its maritime territory, the Philippine Coast Guard said it has boosted its presence in the highly contested South China Sea. The boosted presence would also aim to protect fishermen amidst previous incidents of harassment by Chinese vessels.

In an interview on Monday, Philippine Coast Guard chief Admiral Artemio Abu said the coast guard has boosted its presence in the waters, such as deploying additional vessels and conducting more sorties and overflights in order to protect its maritime territory and the fishermen. Abu explained that the PCG’s acquisition of more advanced vessels allowed it to increase the number and duration of patrols in the contested waters.

“We’re making sure that the presence of coast guard vessels is felt by the fishermen in the area,” said Abu, who was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought to pursue ties with China.

“We are strengthening our presence,” Abu continued. “At a moment’s notice, the coast guard vessels will be there because they are exclusively and primarily dedicated for that purpose.”

This follows an incident last month, where the PCG received a report that a Filipino fishing boat was forced out of the Second Thomas Shoal, also known locally as the Ayungin Shoal. The shoal also happens to be within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

The PCG has 25 primary ships that could be used for deployment and patrols. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed that the Philippines will not cede an inch of its territory to any foreign power, drawing praise from advocates of the 2016 tribunal arbitration that ruled against China’s claims to most of the South China Sea, saying that the claims have no basis under international law.

On Saturday, Indonesia is looking to ramp up talks over a code of conduct in the South China Sea, according to its foreign minister, as the country takes over as the chair for the ASEAN bloc this year. Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said during a news conference after a meeting with the bloc’s foreign ministers that negotiations over the COC were discussed with the ministers expressing that the talks be concluded as soon as possible.