Chinese Warship Anchored Off Disputed Spratly Islands

Philippine Navy aircraft spots a Chinese landing ship in Subi Reef, 12 miles from Philippine-occupied island Pag-asa

The Chinese troop and logistics ship, a Yuting class, No. 934, is armed with three heavy guns, built-in cranes, and a helipad, reports 'The Philippine Star'.

The Chinese ship is anchored at the Chinese-occupied Subi Reef, close to Pag-asa Island, which is occupied by Filipino troops and civilians and is part of the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan.

“We are doing our best with what we have,” Wescom spokesman Lt. Col. Niel Estrella said of their surveillance and monitoring operations on the current security development in the Spratlys.

Estrella said that monitoring operations yesterday were hampered by bad weather in the area.

In nearby Union Reef, which is occupied by Vietnamese forces, a Wescom surveillance plane also monitored a lone Vietnamese fishing boat near dozens of Chinese fishing vessels in the area.

Union Reef as well as other islets and reefs in the area are within the hexagon area composed of 95 islands, cays, shoals and reefs, which by earlier Philippine Presidential decree has an island municipality in that region.