COULD be a research vessel, this Shen Kuo, which passed through Itbayat and Basco in Batanes then began ‘‘loitering’’ in waters off Catanduanes before sailing southward off Mapanas in Northern Samar last week.
But the way it sailed through that distance, which spans the Philippine Rise east of Cagayan Valley, and not responding at all to attempts by Philippine military officials to contact it, quickly raises nagging, but legitimate questions.
Particularly since Chinese vessels are often seen blocking or harassing Philippine vessels on humanitarian missions in the West Philippine Sea within the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
The Philippine Rise, a submerged extinct volcanic ridge at 16.5°N, 124.7°E off the coast of Luzon, with the size of about 250 kms in diameter, rises over 2,000 meters above the sea floor, from below 5,000 meters below sea level to above 3,000 meters below sea level.
Its strategic location southeast of Taiwan, east of Luzon, and west of American territory of Guam make it a feature of geopolitical importance.
In May 2017, the feature was designated by the Philippines as a “protected food supply exclusive zone” prohibiting mining and oil exploration in the Philippine Plateau.
Much of the Philippine Rise is beyond 320 nautical miles, but it was granted to the Philippines because it was scientifically determined that the undersea formation is a natural extension of the country’s continental shelf.
In the extended continental shelf, no one may undertake activities for exploring and exploiting mineral and other non-living resources of the seabed and subsoil without the express consent of the Philippines, which also has the exclusive right to authorize and regulate drilling on the continental shelf for all purposes.
For 2024 alone, this is the second time a Chinese research vessel was spotted in the country’s eastern section of the country where lies the Philippine Rise, a 24-million-hectare undersea feature part of the Philippine continental shelf and is inside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
We are persuaded to agree with some defense analysts the Chinese vessels’ presence there could have something to do with an underwater survey to prepare for possible occupation of Taiwan.
Astonishingly, the Chinese Embassy in Manila has not commented on the vessels’ presence.
Batanes is just a few kilometers away from Taiwan, a United States ally that China considers as a renegade province. It is among the key sites of the US-Philippines military drills that started on April 24 and will end on May 8.
We are glad the Armed Forces of the Philippines has remained vigilant and is “monitoring any unauthorized research vessel in our maritime domain (and has) tasked nearby vessels for enhanced surveillance and reporting.”
We agree with security observers that research vessels are the safest way to legitimize espionage operations.