Video shows US ally monitoring China’s “monster ship”

The Philippines said on Monday it was monitoring a massive Chinese coast guard ship nicknamed “the Monster,” as it continued to operate within the U.S. ally’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for a third-consecutive day.

Newsweek reached out to the Chinese foreign ministry with a written request for comment.

Why It Matters

Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea overlap with those of neighboring countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Taiwan.

Pushback from the U.S. ally under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has resulted in increasingly aggressive responses from China. Clashes last year left several Philippine servicemen injured and raised the specter of Manila invoking its seven-decade Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S.

Beijing has maintained that it is Manila stirring up trouble in the region, acting as a pawn in Washington’s efforts to contain China.

What to Know

Video shared to X (formerly Twitter) by Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela showed the 541-foot CCG-5901, the world’s largest coast guard vessel, being intercepted by the much smaller BRP Cabra. Tarriela had suggested Sunday that the ship’s presence was aimed at intimidating local fishermen.

The post included videos in which Philippine personnel could be heard informing the much larger vessel that it was within 76 nautical miles (87 miles) of the Southeast Asian country’s coastline. An exclusive economic zone extends 200 nautical miles from a country’s coastline, granting that state sole rights to natural resources under maritime law.

China claims control over nearly all the South China Sea, which includes the exclusive economic zones of several neighbors, such as the Philippines. Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, Manila has increasingly pushed back, prompting Chinese maritime forces to step up their presence in Philippine waters.

Chinese state media outlet the Global Times on Monday dismissed the stir caused by “the Monster’s” presence in Philippine media, accusing the country of creating “photo ops” aimed at discrediting China’s maritime law enforcement actions.

What People Are Saying

Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard: “Observations reveal that the CCG vessel’s erratic movements indicate it is not engaged in innocent passage but rather asserts that it is conducting a law enforcement operation, claiming jurisdiction over these waters as belonging to the People’s Republic of China.”

Ray Powell, director of Stanford University-affiliated maritime analyst group SeaLight: “Since arriving on station yesterday, the Philippine Coast Guard’s 330-ton BRP Cabra has been driving circles around the 12,000-ton ‘Monster’ China Coast Guard 5901. Cabra has been moving at 5-9 knots, while the ‘Monster’ has been lumbering at 2-5 knots, 55-70 (63-80 miles) from the Luzon coast.”

Luzon is the Philippines’ most populous island, home to the capital Manila.

Ding Duo, deputy director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies: “After China announced the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao, both the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy and the CCG are set to increase their routine patrols and exercises in the area, and the Philippines needs to adapt to this process,” Ding told the Global Times.

Huangyan Dao is China’s name for Scarborough Shoal, known in Manila as Bajo De Masinloc, a disputed feature within the Philippine EEZ.

What’s Next

China is likely to continue deploying its coast guard, paramilitary “Maritime Militia,” and navy to back its sweeping claims in the South China Sea.

President Joe Biden and other administration officials have been vocal in their criticism of Chinese aggression within the Philippines’ maritime zone, which has included water cannon blasts and ramming. They have also stressed that the Mutual Defense Treaty is “ironclad.”

It remains to be seen how the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will approach the issue.

Tarriela said: “The Philippine Coast Guard reaffirms its dedication to protecting the nation’s maritime interests and will continue to monitor the activities of the CCG’s illegitimate presence.”