China ‘elevating’ provocative actions in WPS—military

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday said a Chinese warship’s attempt to cross the bow or front side of a Philippine Navy vessel in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was an unprecedented “elevation” of China’s provocative actions.

Reports of the latest incident came as President Marcos emphasized his continued support for the modernization of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to meet the challenges in the country’s territorial waters, especially the WPS.

“Our capability to defend our maritime, sovereign territory of the Philippines is increasing, so we are continuing with the upgrading of the equipment, the training, and the capabilities of all our people, especially the Coast Guard,” the President said in Filipino.

On Friday, a Chinese ship identified as the CNS Panzhihua shadowed the BRP Benguet during a resupply mission and came as close as 350 yards when it tried to cut off the Navy vessel near Pag-asa Island, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said.

“Based on the report, the shadowing is a usual occurrence already, but the crossing of the bow is something new. In a way, that is an elevation of what they’ve been doing before,” Aguilar said. “They are probably testing our resolve.”

The government “knows how to deal with that situation,” he added.

“For us, we support the strategy of the government to pursue peaceful means in resolving conflict. What we do in the AFP is provide information that we get from our maritime patrols, at the same time, to show our firm resolve that we are ready to protect what is ours,” Aguilar told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Crossing the bow is considered a dangerous maneuver as it can result in a collision.

Aguilar said the Philippine Navy issued consecutive radio challenges to the Chinese ship, which responded by citing the “ten-dash line,” an internationally discredited policy that Beijing uses to claim nearly the entire South China Sea.

In the end, the Chinese vessel changed its course, and BRP Benguet successfully delivered fresh provisions to the troops stationed at the Rizal Reef station.

Beijing on Monday said it had sovereignty over Pag-asa Island, which it calls Zhongye Island and defended its