Philippines’ use of Canadian system to track Chinese ship signals Ottawa’s interests

Ottawa’s support for Manila’s position in the South China Sea row may antagonise Beijing, analysts say

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A Philippine supply boat moves around Chinese coastguard ships as they try to block its way near Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

Published: 4:00pm, 28 Jun 2024

The revelation from the Philippines that it deployed Canadian satellite technology to detect a potential maritime intrusion by a Chinese vessel has cast the spotlight on Ottawa’s Indo-Pacific ambitions.

Observers say while any aid by the West would be likely to be perceived as interference by China and further heighten tensions in the South China Sea, the sharing of Canada’s “Dark Vessel Technology” with the Philippines underscored Ottawa’s strategic trade and security interests, even if it had not been as involved as other Western nations in the region.

The Philippine coastguard said the satellite system, launched after Manila and Ottawa signed a memorandum of understanding last year, had boosted the Philippines’ ability to track China’s activities and was key in safeguarding Manila’s maritime domain even as adversarial vessels turned off their location-transmitting devices.

Philippine coastguard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela on Thursday reported the tracking of activities by Beijing’s 13,000-tonne coastguard ship – nicknamed “The Monster” – over the last 10 days. The vessel moved close to El Nido in Palawan, the Philippine island facing the South China Sea, at one point.

“It directly encroached upon the territorial waters of the Philippine-occupied features, of Parola and Pagasa, violating our sovereignty,” Tarriela said, adding the vessel was later detected on the Philippine side of the Spratly archipelago and possibly resupplied for logistics before continuing on its voyage, including into the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia and Brunei.

The Philippine coastguard said the vessel continued moving through the region before heading towards El Nido and maintained a close distance of 34 nautical miles from its coastline.