Chinese vessels in WPS rise to 54 in past week -- AFP

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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday reported that 54 Chinese vessels were monitored in several West Philippine Sea (WPS) features from Oct. 20 to 26, up from 31 in the previous week.

In an update, AFP spokesperson for the WPS Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said the vessels monitored included those from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the China Coast Guard (CCG).

The breakdown of Chinese vessels monitored in the past week was as follows:

• Ayungin Shoal: Seven PLAN vessels and seven CCG vessels
• Bajo de Masinloc: Six PLAN vessels and 11 CCG vessels
• Escoda Shoal: Five PLAN vessels and two CCG vessels
• Pag-asa Islands: Four PLAN vessels and 12 CCG vessels

The total was higher than the 31 Chinese vessels recorded from Oct. 13 to 19.

Tensions in the South China Sea persist as Beijing claims almost the entire strategic waterway, through which more than $3 trillion worth of goods are shipped annually.

The area is also subject to overlapping territorial and maritime claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

The Philippine government uses the name West Philippine Sea to refer to maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago, including the Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China, finding that China’s claims to historic rights within the so-called nine-dash line had no legal basis under the convention.

China has refused to recognize the ruling.— MCG, GMA News

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