Philippines accuses Chinese vessel of spoofing location off Batanes

The Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese research vessel on Monday of spoofing its location while loitering off Batanes, the northernmost island group in the Philippines near Taiwan, and said its movements were consistent with unauthorised marine scientific research. " PCG said the Chinese-flagged research vessel JIA HAI KE 7 was detected about 38 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat in Batanes. Itbayat is about 160 km from Taiwan. The Coast Guard said the vessel ignored repeated radio challenges to identify its intentions and stop any unauthorised activity.

It said the ship was loitering and holding position rather than following a steady course that would have indicated innocent passage. PCG said the vessel appeared to be broadcasting false AIS positions, with tracking data showing it moving from the coast of Xiamen in southeast 28. China to a location off Papua New Guinea on the same day. It later appeared northwest of Itbayat, a timeframe that would have been physically impossible, the agency said.

The vessel's behaviour was consistent with marine scientific research activity rather than transit, the PCG said. According to open-source information cited by the coast guard, the ship is a 2,000-ton, 70-metre survey vessel built for marine geological surveys and capable of precise station-keeping. Waters off Batanes and the Luzon Strait contain key submarine cable corridors linking the Philippines with Northeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. PCG said it would continue monitoring the vessel.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chinese scholars at Jinan University have previously argued that Batanes belonged to China. S. plans to choke China’s vast navy.

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