AFP tracking reported Chinese warship, unmanned vessel in PH EEZ

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Friday it is tracking reports of a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessel and an unmanned surface vessel allegedly operating within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), following a Reuters report on an encounter involving a commercial sea drone.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines is aware of reports regarding the presence of a Chinese PLA Navy vessel and an unmanned surface vessel allegedly operating within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. We are closely tracking and monitoring the situation in coordination with other maritime agencies,” AFP spokesperson Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad (Reserve) said in a statement.

Trinidad said there was “no indication of any immediate threat to public safety or national security.”

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He urged the public to remain calm, avoid speculation and rely only on verified information from official government sources.

“The AFP will continue to monitor developments and perform its mandate of safeguarding the country’s maritime interests,” he said.

Trinidad said the military has long monitored the presence of foreign vessels within the Philippines’ EEZ.

“We have monitored and are monitoring any presence of foreign ships in our EEZ. I’ll check on those dates until now on the whereabouts of the particular ship,” he said.

The statement came after Reuters reported that California-based defense technology company Saronic Technologies said one of its commercial unmanned surface vessels encountered a Chinese Type 052D guided-missile destroyer while operating within the Philippines’ EEZ. 

The company said the unarmed autonomous vessel, Corsair, sailed within about 250 meters of the warship and captured what Reuters described as the first publicly released footage of a Chinese naval vessel taken by a private US company.

The Reuters report said the encounter occurred west of Luzon during a commercial mission, with the autonomous vessel continuing its voyage after passing the Chinese warship.

The AFP did not identify the Chinese vessel or the unmanned surface vessel in its statement. /mr