Presence of Chinese warships in Mischief Reef not alarming: PH Navy

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 30, 2024): Presence of Chinese warships in Mischief Reef not alarming: PH Navy (By Priam Nepomuceno)

Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad (PNA photo by Priam Nepomuceno)

MANILA – There is no reason to be alarmed over reports of 15 to 25 Chinese warships spotted in the Mischief Reef in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official said Tuesday.

It's normal seeing those many ships "at any given time," according to Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, PN spokesperson for the WPS, during a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Trinidad said the Chinese warships and those of the China Coast Guard (CCG) are generally spotted inside Mischief Reef, which he called an "enclosed safe harbor."

"It is based on [the] South Sea Fleet they could deploy so a lot of these, ‘yung sa (their) grey ships nila just like any other Navy, their numbers are also limited based on the operational tempo, of repair, and training, maintenance," he said.

"At any one time they would be moving, some of them would be at anchor, especially (the) maritime militia, so it is difficult to give you the exact number at (an) exact point in time," he added.

Trinidad noted that while Chinese maritime militia vessels have been increasing, the warships and CCG vessels have been constant for the past eight to 10 years.

The PN decided to have a spokesperson for the WPS as the Armed Forces of the Philippines is now shifting from internal security operations to external defense, according to Trinidad.

"We deemed it appropriate and right that there will be a Navy spokesperson to provide further inputs or clarifications to the broad efforts of the Armed Forces in addressing all our media friends," he added.

He also said the PN and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have enough assets in the area, but “given more, we can perform even better."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217904