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Philippines outnumbered as ‘largest China vessel swarm’ spotted near Thitu Island
An analyst suggests Beijing may be ‘adding fuel’ to domestic political tensions amid the ongoing Marcos-Duterte fallout
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A US-based surveillance group has detected the “largest China vessel swarm” near Thitu Island, known as Pagasa Island in the Philippines, with observers noting that Manila lacks the fleet size to match Beijing’s latest deployment of at least 83 militia and fishing ships in the disputed waters.
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Ray Powell, a former US air force official and director of Stanford University’s maritime transparency project, Sealight, confirmed the presence of the vessels last week using satellite imagery.
He reported that up to 75 Chinese ships were spotted just 2.5 nautical miles (4.6km) off Thitu Island – “well within [the Philippines’] 12-nautical-mile territorial sea”. Powell described this as “by far the largest China vessel swarm I’ve ever seen” in the area.
Thitu Island, the largest land mass in the Manila-claimed Kalayaan island group, hosts a Philippine civilian outpost with nearly 500 residents. It is one of the many features the falls under Beijing’s controversial nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea. A 2016 ruling by an arbitral court in The Hague determined that Beijing’s claims lack a basis in international law.
In response to escalating tensions, the Philippines has intensified plans for infrastructure development on the island, which is seen as central to its maritime claims. These plans include health facilities for residents as well as an airport and runway.
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