Footage appears to show a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel reportedly trespassing into waters near a Philippine island.
The CCG vessel was spotted sailing some 54 miles off the Capones Island in Zambales province on Saturday (4 January).
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG dispatched the BRP Cabra MRRV 4409 and a PCG helicopter and caravan “to verify the incursion”.
In a statement, Mr Tarriela said: “ A PCG vessel and aircraft continuously challenged the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard, emphasizing that it was operating within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
Authorities believe its presence was meant to intimidate Filipino fishermen from entering the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed fishing ground and resource-rich area in the South China Sea.
