The Philippine Coast Guard reported on Monday that it has spotted a Chinese warship and other militia vessels circling around Scarborough Shoal.
Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Armand Ballilo said that the PCG spotted two China Coast Guard vessels, two militia boats, and a naval ship near the shoal.
Balilo said the vessels were found within 7 to 12 nautical miles off the shoal.
The sightings of Chinese vessels come after Special Envoy to China Mon Tulfo said that negotiations are ongoing to pull out Chinese vessels around Pag-asa island.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Command also reported a decrease in the number of chinese vessels because it is not ‘fishing season’ yet.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the sightings of Chinese warship should not be a cause for concern.
“We see US ships (passing there), we see other ships passing through, this is not the first time (such warship sighting reports were made known to us), remember the time that a US and Chinese warships nearly collided (last October) with each other (in the South China Sea) (Chinese ships) have been always there but these are not always Navy ships but their Coast Guard and large fishing boats,” Lorenzana said to the Philippine News Agency.
Photos from Philippine Coast Guard
