New photos show dozens of Chinese vessels occupying Philippines’ territory

As tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, a look at newly-released satellite images allegedly shows Chinese militia ships massing around a contested reef. Beijing claims it has rights over the Whitsun Reef, which is about 750 nautical miles from China’s nearest province.

Here's our latest @Satellogic satellite imagery collection, captured just yesterday (December 10) over the Whitsun Reef in the #SouthChinaSea. You can see more than 75 ships congregated in this contentious area.

Why is this significant? Whitsun Reef, a subject of ongoing dispute… pic.twitter.com/yupI9PC8S5

— SkyFi (@SkyfiApp) December 12, 2023

The reef is considered to be within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which gives the nation full rights to the reef. But that hasn’t stopped the People’s Republic of China from asserting its presence over the years, and now Beijing seems to be ramping that presence up.

The new satellite photos by SkyFi were taken on Monday, Dec. 10, and they appear to show Chinese maritime militia ships rafted together to create something similar to a maritime outpost.

This comes as the Philippine Coast Guard recently boosted its presence in the area, calling China’s activity in recent weeks “alarming,” and reporting more than 135 Chinese vessels in the area.

“The PCG maintains its unwavering commitment to safeguarding maritime security, safety and the marine environment in the course of protecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea,” the Philippine Coast Guard said.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Chinese maritime militia is a network of fishing vessels that works alongside the People’s Liberation Army Navy to “achieve political objectives in disputed waters.” However, Beijing does not officially recognize its existence.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said recently that these ships were just fishing vessels seeking calm seas and shelter from weather in Chinese waters.

“It is reasonable and lawful for Chinese fishing boats to operate and take shelter in the waters,” Wenbin said. “The Philippine side should not make irresponsible remarks on that.”

The director of SeaLight, Ray Powell, which tracks maritime gray-zone activities in the South China Sea, said the placing of these vessels around the Whitsun Reef is Beijing’s attempt to normalize its presence and expand its reach, encroaching on the coastlines of neighboring nations.

“Mostly what China is trying to do is, over the years, get everyone accustomed to the idea that China is here and you can’t get rid of them,” Powell told SkyFi. “The idea being they will slowly expand their scope and reach to the edges of their nine-line claim and almost up to the coastline of their neighbors.”

The Philippine Coast Guard said the fishing vessels ignored radio calls from its patrols, which were sent to document their “illegal presence.”