China Has Sent The World’s Largest Coast Guard Ship To Scare The Philippines

Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) 5901, also known as “The Monster,” is a Coast Guard vessel China considers the largest in the world. It has been sent to the waters surrounding the Philippines.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the powerful CCG 5901 has been sent to the Scarborough Shoal with two smaller vessels. First launched in 2016, “The Monster” is 541 feet (165 meters) long and is allegedly used for “anti-trespassing” duties. That being said, having it around might increase tensions in the region.

This past Friday, May 24, “The Monster” and another 335-foot (102-meter) coastguard ship were sighted 50 nautical miles (93 km) off the disputed Scarborough Shoal. This region, 230 miles (370 km) long and within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), is known as Panatag Shoal in Manila and Huangyan Island in Beijing.

If foreign nationals are discovered within Beijing’s claimed maritime zone, they may be detained by the Chinese coastguard for up to 60 days by China’s trespassing policy. The CCG and local marine vessels have already had several recent encounters, such as the water cannon attack on two Philippine ships last month near the shoal.

Vice president of the International Development and Security Cooperation and resident fellow Joshua Espeña, a security expert, cautioned against the possibility of an escalating conflict. “The Marcos government is urged to strongly communicate this to the Chinese side to dissuade any untoward incidents. As Marcos mentioned in an interview during his working visit to Australia, the regional conflict might be triggered because of miscalculations,” Espeña stated.

Espeña said, “Beijing is forcing Manila’s hand into this dangerous scenario by decisively calculating that arrests will make them achieve their objectives overnight. We can imagine a tit-for-tat scenario from mere arrest to a deadly stand-off into a limited regional conflict as the Philippine security forces seek to rescue Filipino fishers in any case. This will be followed by China’s entry of the People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels to dissuade the Philippines from making further moves. This inevitably would involve the Philippine armed forces entering into a scene.”

In 2012, Scarborough Shoal, a customary fishing location for Filipino fishermen, was taken over by China, sparking a two-month stalemate with the Philippine Navy. The area is 200 nautical miles of EEZ within the Philippines.

“If that is so, Beijing will worsen the situation by placing bigger and more sophisticated toys at sea. At that point, Manila is likely consulting its American counterparts that already have a minimum presence via EDCA bases,” said Espeña. The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is a pact with the United States, allowing large-scale joint military exercises on Philippine soil.

Espeña said, “All parts of the country will be put on a high alert, which means bringing in more US forces to strike against Chinese targets. The Chinese will, of course, upscale its activities, but it also risks the US bringing everything to the table.”