February 11 ------ China’s largest fishing research vessel was monitored traveling the shipping lane of Philippine archipelagic waters in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), US Air Force official and former defense attaché Ray Powell said on X. “China’s Lan Hai 101 has turned north. It has joined the shipping lane transiting the Philippines’ archipelagic waters coming up from the Celebes Sea. Why it needed to come this way isn’t obvious–staying west of Palawan would have been a more direct route north,” Powell posted. The vessel is also 85 meters long and 15 meters wide owned by Yellow Sea Fishery. It was reportedly traveling at a speed of 11 knots. “Its companion, Lan Hai 201, continues to survey the Arabian Sea,” he added.
On Monday morning, the said vessel was first spotted near the Sulu Sea. “The Lan Hai 101, one of China’s two largest fisheries research ships, is now transiting the Philippines’ archipelagic waters. It appears to be en route to the Philippine Sea,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun defended China’s presence in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), claiming China’s sovereignty in the South China Sea is backed by history, law, and international practice. He stated that the China Coast Guard’s activities in the area are lawful and justified. Guo urged the Philippines to stop its actions that complicate the situation and jeopardize regional peace.
Tensions persist as China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, which is contested by several nations, including the Philippines. A 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration sided with the Philippines, rejecting China’s claims, but China refused to acknowledge the decision. The Manila Standard sought confirmation with the Philippine Navy about the presence of the said ship and said they currently checking it.
Source: manilastandard.net
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