China sends hydrographic vessels to Truong Sa

The Philippines announced yesterday that it had discovered two Beijing hydrographic research vessels at a reef in Vietnam's Spratly Islands.

Rong Grass Bank in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago. Photo: pinoyline

In an exclusive interview aired on TV5, Philippine President Benigno Aquino said the Philippine armed forces had detected Chinese hydrographic vessels at the Reed Bank. The shoal belongs to Vietnam’s Spratly Islands, but is also claimed by several other countries, including the Philippines.

"What are they doing there? What are they researching? I hope this does not worsen or increase tensions," the Inquirer quoted Mr. Aquino as saying.

President Aquino recalled that in 2011, Chinese vessels harassed a Philippine exploration vessel at the shoal. Both Manila and China have expressed interest in the Reed Bank, which is believed to hold potential oil and gas resources. A report last year by the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that there are 5.4 billion barrels of oil in the area. Manila granted a drilling permit to a company near the shoal in 2016.

Mr. Aquino did not say when the Philippine military discovered the ships. However, he said the intrusion was the latest manifestation of China's "seasonal" attitude in the South China Sea.

"There are seasons when China is aggressive. There are seasons when it is friendly. There are times when it attacks hard. There are times when it does nothing," he said, adding that despite Manila's efforts to peacefully resolve tensions in the South China Sea, Beijing's provocative actions have not stopped.

This is the first provocation by China since the Philippines proposed a three-step plan to freeze activities that escalate tensions in the South China Sea. Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario pushed the plan at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) last week and received support from the United States.

However, Beijing rejected the proposal. ASEAN also showed little enthusiasm for the plan.

According to VNexpress