AFP: China warships violated protocols in entering PH territorial waters
MANILA, Philippines — Three People's Liberation Army Navy vessels disregarded standard maritime protocols by failing to properly identify themselves when challenged during their passage through Philippine archipelagic waters from February 1 to 4, the Philippine Navy said Tuesday, February 4, adding the incident has been documented for appropriate action.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Navy's spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the Chinese vessels violated maritime rules by failing to maintain expeditious passage and providing inadequate information when challenged.
The Chinese vessels were identified as one Renhai Class Cruiser Guided Missile, one Jiankai Class Frigate II, and one Type 903 Fuchi Class Replenishment Oiler.
"They replied but not in accordance to standard procedures. Standard procedure is that you would identify yourself, you would state where you came from, where you're heading to," Trinidad told reporters in a press briefing on Tuesday.
"The only reply given to Western Mindanao Command was that they are exercising freedom of navigation and innocent passage," he added.
Trinidad noted, however, that the passage of the three Chinese warships was authorized under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) through established archipelagic sea lanes.
The Philippine military tracked the Chinese warships from February 1, when one vessel was first spotted at Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).
This ship was later joined by two others east of Mindoro before the three vessels proceeded through Cuyo Island and the Sulu Sea.
As of Tuesday morning, the vessels were more than 120 nautical miles south of Basilan.
Trinidad noted the vessels showed irregular behavior during their transit, with speeds varying between 30-40 knots before inexplicably slowing to 5-6 knots in parts of the Sulu Sea. "It is not expeditious. They could have traveled expeditiously," he said.
While foreign vessels are allowed archipelagic sea lanes passage through Philippine waters, they are required to travel "continuously and in the fastest possible speed" without conducting activities that could endanger the coastal state, Trinidad explained.
Trinidad said