PH Navy slams Chinese military activities in Sabina Shoal

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday slammed China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) for recently conducting exercises in Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

“The other day, the PLA conducted an exercise in Sabina Shoal from 1100 to 1800. This was repeated also yesterday. We were able to monitor and challenge all their actions in Sabina Shoal,” Philippine Navy spokesperson Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing.

According to Trinidad, the Chinese military launched a hovercraft and aircraft and performed maneuvers at sea.

“First and foremost, they have no right to be within our exclusive economic zone. The conduct of an exercise is unauthorized under UNCLOS. It is not allowed,” he added.

Meanwhile, the number of Chinese vessels in WPS features increased to 125 from 112 last week, according to Trinidad.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recently deployed a ship to Sabina Shoal as it accused China of building an artificial island in the area.

Sabina Shoal serves as the rendezvous point for vessels carrying out resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre grounded at Ayungin Shoal.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Manila calls parts of the waters within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague ruled that China's claims over the South China Sea had no legal basis, a decision Beijing does not recognize. —VAL, GMA Integrated News