Phillipines discovers more than 40 Chinese ships near Thitu Island
The Philippine Coast Guard announced that it had detected at least 42 Chinese ships, believed to be maritime militia ships, near Thitu Island in the South China Sea.
In a statement on March 4, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the number of ships suspected of being Chinese maritime militia was anchored about 4.5 to 8 nautical miles from Thitu island in the Spratly archipelago. PCG did not specify when these ships appeared.
14 Chinese ships that the Philippines suspect are maritime militia ships appeared near Thitu Island. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard.
PCG added that the Chinese coast guard ship CCG-5203 and a naval vessel also appeared in the area 4-8 nautical miles from Thitu Island.
The ships believed to be part of China's maritime militia were divided into two large groups, a group of 14 ships anchored near Hoai An Reef, about 4 nautical miles west of Thitu Island, and a group of 28 ships gathered. near Cai Vung rock, both belong to Truong Sa archipelago.
The Philippines vowed to maintain operations in the area, despite the presence of the Chinese fleet, and called on its fishermen to proactively report any incidents of collisions with foreign ships in the waters.
China has not commented on the information released by the Philippine Coast Guard.
The Philippines in 2020 allocated 1.3 billion pesos (US$26 million) to build and renovate works on Thi Tu island, including the "concrete runway" project.
