PUERTO PRINCESA – A Chinese vessel became stranded in turbulent waters near a Filipino-occupied isle in the contested South China Sea, causing Filipino troops to be on high alert, according to Philippine military officials on Sunday.
Upon evaluating the situation, Filipino forces determined that the Chinese fishing vessel had likely run aground east of Thitu Island on Saturday due to inclement weather. Military and coast guard teams were sent to assist but eventually noticed that the vessel managed to free itself, as stated by regional navy representative Ellaine Rose Collado.
No other details were immediately available, including if there were injuries among the crewmembers or if the ship was damaged, Collado said.
Confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy ships in the disputed waters in recent years.
“Our troops are always vigilant,” remarked Col. Xerxes Trinidad from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the media. He added that upon identifying a potential mishap, they acted to provide aid professionally, adhering to international maritime laws governing the assistance to ships in distress.
“We’re always following international law,” Trinidad said.
Filipino villagers living in a fishing village on Thitu, which they call Pagasa island, immediately informed the Philippine military and coast guard after seeing the Chinese ship lying in the shallows about 1.5 nautical miles (2.7 kilometers) from their village, said MP Albayda, a local Filipino official, told The Associated Press.
“They got worried because the Chinese were so close but it was really the strong wind and waves that caused the ship to run aground,” said Albayda, adding that other Chinese ships pulled the stricken vessel away.
The stricken ship resembled what the Philippine military had repeatedly said were suspected Chinese militia ships, which had backed the Chinese coast guard and navy in blocking and harassing Philippine coast guard and military vessels in the disputed waters, a busy conduit for global trade and commerce.
Thitu Island is home to a Philippine fishing village and Filipino forces and is the largest of nine islands and islets occupied by the Philippines. It lies about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Subi Reef, which China transformed into an island base along with six other barren reefs to reinforce its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in the long-simmering territorial standoffs, an Asian flashpoint that many fear could pit China and the United States in a major conflict.
The U.S. does not lay any claim to the South China Sea but has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, it’s longtime treaty ally, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
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