Chinese Coast Guard ‘monster ship,’ underwater drone enter Philippine waters

[RYAN ROBERTSON}]

A SUSPECTED CHINESE UNDERWATER DRONE AND ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST COAST GUARD SHIPS—DUBBED THE ‘MONSTER SHIP’—ARE SPARKING FRESH CONCERNS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA… WHERE CONTROL OVER THE WATERS IS BEING ACTIVELY DISPUTED. THESE ARE JUST THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AMID ONGOING CLASHES BETWEEN CHINA AND THE PHILIPPINES OVER EACH NATION’S MARITIME CLAIMS TO THE AREA.

ON DECEMBER 30TH, FISHERMEN DISCOVERED AN UNMANNED UNDERWATER DRONE. PHILIPPINE AUTHORITIES IDENTIFIED IT AS CHINESE-MADE, LABELED “HY-119,” AND LIKELY USED FOR NAVIGATION AND RECONNAISSANCE. THE POLICE GAVE THE DEVICE TO THE NAVY FOR ANALYSIS DUE TO POSSIBLE NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS.

ALTHOUGH UNARMED, THE DRONE’S PRESENCE RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT INCREASING CHINESE ACTIVITY IN THE PHILIPPINES’ EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE, AN AREA STRETCHING 200 NAUTICAL MILES FROM ITS COASTLINE. WE’VE REPORTED ON PLENTY OF PREVIOUS CONFRONTATIONS WHERE CHINESE VESSELS USED AGGRESSIVE TACTICS NEAR DISPUTED AREAS LIKE THE SECOND THOMAS AND SCARBOROUGH SHOALS.

MEANWHILE, THE MONSTER SHIP–CHINA’S MASSIVE 12-THOUSAND-TON COAST GUARD VESSEL, WAS RECENTLY SEEN AT SCARBOROUGH SHOAL TOO. THE REEF, 140 MILES WEST OF LUZON ISLAND, ALSO LIES WITHIN THE PHILIPPINES’ E-E-Z BUT IS UNDER CHINESE CONTROL. THE VESSEL, ARMED AND TRAVELING WITH OTHER CHINESE SHIPS, UNDERSCORES BEIJING’S PUSH TO DOMINATE THE SOUTH CHINA SEA…A MOVE THE PHILIPPINES COAST GUARD SAYS IS MAKING VICTIMS OUT OF OTHER SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS.

A REPORT FROM THE PENTAGON INVOLVING SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS AND THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA HIGHLIGHTS THE PRC’S USE OF NAVY, COAST GUARD, AND MARITIME MILITIA ASSETS TO STAKE ITS TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. THE APPEARANCE OF THE “MONSTER SHIP” IS PART OF A BROADER STRATEGY INVOLVING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND LARGE-SCALE DEPLOYMENTS.

CHINA CLAIMS NEARLY THE ENTIRE SOUTH CHINA SEA, OVERLAPPING THE E-E-Zs OF NATIONS LIKE THE PHILIPPINES, VIETNAM, AND MALAYSIA. SINCE TAKING OFFICE IN 2022, PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR. RAMPED UP EFFORTS TO COUNTER CHINESE INCURSIONS, LEADING TO MORE FREQUENT STANDOFFS.

THE U.S. ALSO CONDUCTS FREEDOM-OF-NAVIGATION OPERATIONS IN THE REGION TO CHALLENGE CHINA’S CLAIMS….AND PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER U-S ALLY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC ARE ALSO ARMING THEMSELVES FOR A POTENTIAL CLASH WITH CHINA.

MANILA SAYS IT PLANS TO KEEP CHALLENGING CHINA THROUGH DIPLOMACY AND EXPANDED PATROLS.
MEANWHILE, BEIJING’S DEFENSE MINISTRY INSISTS ITS ACTIVITIES ALIGN WITH ITS SOVEREIGNTY CLAIMS.

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