JAKARTA - The Philippines on Monday deployed a coast guard vessel to carry out a two-week patrol mission in northern and eastern waters, to intensify its maritime presence while checking for the possible presence of a Chinese research vessel spotted at Benham Rise.
Benham Rise, located off the east coast of the Philippines, is a vast area declared by the UN in 2012 to be part of the country's continental shelf. Manila in 2017 renamed it the "Philippine Rise."
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said in a statement that its vessels will patrol the waters to carry out maritime area awareness, intensify their presence on northern Luzon Island, and monitor local fishermen.
"We will also examine the Chinese research vessel reported at Benham Rise," said PCG spokesman Armando Balilo, reported by Reuters, March 4.
Benham Rise, which is said to be rich in biodiversity and fish stocks, is not in the South China Sea and Beijing does not claim the area.
However, China is involved in a territorial dispute with the Philippines over islands in the South China Sea, almost all of which are claimed by Beijing despite an arbitration decision in 2016 which stated that the Bamboo Curtain country's claims have no legal basis under international law.
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Earlier, Ray Powell, director of SeaLight at the Gordian Knot National Security Innovation Center said on the Philippines.
Meanwhile, there has been no direct comment from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines regarding this matter.
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