The Philippine Coast Guard said four Chinese vessels were conducting illegal marine scientific research in its waters and threatened to deploy aircraft and boats to repel them.
“PCG has determined that they are conducting illegal marine scientific research without the legal authority or prior consent of the Philippine government, in clear violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” according to a statement posted on Facebook by Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela. The Philippines will deploy aircraft and vessels to drive away the Chinese ships, he said.
The Chinese foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Two of the Chinese vessels were spotted west and northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, while one was northwest off Rizal, Palawan, within the vicinity of the disputed Jackson Atoll, and the other northwest of Scarborough Shoal, according to the statement. One of the ships is an advanced oceanographic survey vessel equipped for deep-sea research, seafloor mapping, geophysical exploration and support of submersibles, Tarriela said.
Another is the world’s first intelligent drone mothership, built to deploy and control more than 50 unmanned aerial, surface and underwater vehicles simultaneously for comprehensive three-dimensional ocean surveys, according to the statement.
“We will not tolerate any illegal marine scientific research conducted without our government’s consent,” Coast Guard Chief Ronnie Gil Gavan said in a statement.
The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway believed to be rich in natural resources. The Southeast Asian nation has bolstered military ties with the US to help safeguard its claims in the disputed sea, leading to repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships.
This report is auto-generated from Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.