Chinese Missile Boat Undertakes ‘Alarming’ Action (archived)

A Chinese navy missile craft shadowed a Philippine civilian ship on Friday in an unprecedented encounter that one analyst described as “alarming.”

The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel the BRP Datu Romapenet was en route to a South China Sea feature known as Half Moon Shoal to deliver supplies to fishermen.

Half Moon Shoal is situated at the eastern edge of the Spratly Islands and about 60 miles from the Philippine province of Palawan, well within the Southeast Asian country’s recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

According to the Philippines’ ABS-CBN News, which was onboard, the ship picked up a tail in the form of a Houbei-class (Type 22) guided-missile craft, easily identifiable by its wide camouflaged catamaran hull.

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Chester Cabalza, founder of Manila-based think tank the International Development and Security Cooperation, told the news agency it was the first time a Type 22 had been spotted in the EEZ.

“This incident is alarming because a missile ship shadowed our BFAR ship,” Cabalza said, adding that it was a show of power intended to intimidate the Philippines.

The BRP Datu Romapenet is a Datu Cabaylo-class multi-mission offshore vessel. These ships are supposed to be jointly crewed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Philippine Coast Guard. BFAR is under the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines. The PCG is attached to the Philippine Department of Transportation. In the event of war, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will serve as an attached service of the Department of National Defense. As for the ‘show of power’, Google ‘US Navy Show of Force’. 🙄

Related:

‘Show of force’: US deploys laser-equipped warship to Japan with eye on China war threat

Dr. Chester Cabalza (archived)

NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, STRATBASE ADR INSTITUTE

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Dr. Cabalza has served as a consultant for the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the World Bank, and as an EIA-licensed reviewer for the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, specializing in environmental and social impact assessments. He also participated in the U.S. Department of State’s Study of the U.S. Institutes on National Security and Policymaking at the University of Delaware.

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He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the CHED Faculty Development Scholarship, the Angara Scholarship at UP Diliman, and the Southeast Asian Regional Exchange Program by the Japan Foundation. He also won the IFSSO International Prize for Social Sciences and the Humanitarian Award from Rotary International. Dr. Cabalza has co-authored books including “The Rise of Philippinedization”, “Perspectives on Terrorism in the Philippine Context”, and “Philippine Territorial Defense”.

Japan Foundation’s annual reports

Stratbase ADR Institute: SeaLight, formerly Project Myoushu