China Coast Guard blocks PH vessels en route to Escoda Shoal

China Coast Guard (CCG) ships on Monday blocked two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels on a rotation and reprovisioning (RORE) mission to the BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

According to GMA Integrated News' Marisol Abdurahman, two CCG vessels blocked the BRP Cabra while Chinese ships shadowed the BRP Engaño.

The PCG vessels sailed from Buliluyan port in Palawan to Escoda Shoal earlier in the day for the RORE mission. However, they were not able to deliver the supplies due to the Chinese ships.

Over the weekend, CCG vessels rammed and used a water cannon on the BRP Datu Sanday of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) near the shoal.

The PCG believes the reason for China's aggressive moves in Escoda Shoal is due to the presence there of PCG vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua.

“We could just assume that the reason why China is overreacting is because naniniwala sila sa sarili nilang paranoid narrative na merong dahilan tayo na ire-reinforce natin ang presence ng Teresa Magbanua,” Tarriela said in an Unang Balita interview on Monday.

(We could just assume that the reason why China is overreacting is because they believe in their own paranoid narrative that we have a reason to reinforce the presence of Teresa Magbanua.)

“For so many months, they are asking and criticizing the presence of the Philippine Coast Guard vessel there. Sinasabi nila na ito daw ay semi-grounded na, ito daw ay gagawing forward deployment base [they’re saying that it is already semi-grounded, that it will be turned into a forward deployment base], and they even filed a diplomatic protest asking us to remove our Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal,” he added.

BRP Teresa Magbanua, one of the PCG’s largest and most modern ships, has been stationed in Escoda Shoal since April this year amid reports of China’s reclamation activities there.

China refers to Escoda Shoal as Xianbin Jiao, claiming it is part of its Nansha Islands.

The PCG has stood firm that Escoda Shoal is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral award.

The PCG also said it deployed a vessel to Escoda Shoal not to provoke or escalate tensions but to protect and safeguard the Philippines' sovereign rights over these waters, particularly against illegal poachers and activities that damage the marine environment.

For its part, China said the Philippine ships “illegally rushed” into the waters near the shoal “without the permission of the Chinese government” and that the CCG took control measures in accordance to their laws. 

“On August 26, without the permission of the Chinese government, The Philippine coast guard vessels 4409 and 4411 illegally rushed into the waters adjacent to Xianbin Reef of China's Nansha Islands, continued to endanger the Chinese coast guard vessels close to normal navigation and fanned the hype,” it said. 

“The Chinese coast guard took control measures against the Philippine vessels in accordance with laws and regulations,” it added.

The Philippines questioned China's commitment to de-escalating tensions in the WPS following the incident. —KG/RF, GMA Integrated News