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CCTV aired a re-enactment of PLA speedboats responding to an approaching ship near Fiery Cross Reef. Photo: Weibo

South China Sea: PLA ‘expels ship’ near Fiery Cross Reef

  • Chinese military deploys speed boats in response to approaching vessel, state media reports
  • Incident is one of more than 100 involving the garrison, according to commander
Chinese military personnel stationed on a reclaimed South China Sea island “expelled” an approaching ship, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday.
The report said the incident occurred near Fiery Cross Reef, an artificial island in the disputed Spratly archipelago.

The report did not specify the nationality of the vessel, its type or when the incident occurred in the area known as Yongshu Reef in China.

It also did not air footage of eviction. Instead, it showed a re-enactment of People’s Liberation Army troops detecting the target, guarding positions on the island and sending speedboats to chase the ship away.

According to the re-enactment, soldiers at the reef’s radar station identified a suspicious target 15km (9 miles) away and approaching, prompting battalion commander Wang Kaijuan to order his troops to take forward positions.

A dozen garrison soldiers took their weapons in positions nearby, while others boarded at least three CSK-181 light tactical vehicles. Two military speedboats headed towards the target at high speed.

CCTV said Wang had responded to more than 100 similar incidents “face to face with opponents from different countries”, without saying whether they all took place in the Spratlys.

Fiery Cross Reef is one of China’s biggest land reclamation projects in the South China Sea and part of the country’s plans to cement its presence in the strategically important waterway.

In 2015, Beijing said it had halted land reclamation in the waters, but there have been reports that China has continued to fortify the islands with advanced military bases as well as missile systems, radar, runways and jet fighters.

It started to deploy its biggest warplane, the Y-20 transporter, to Fiery Cross in 2021 to pick up off-duty soldiers while bringing in fresh supplies for the troops, according to state media.

Tensions are high in parts of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most important trade routes and a conduit for more than US$3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire sea with a “nine-dash line” on maps that stretches more than 1,500km off its mainland and cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

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The Philippines anchors buoys in disputed South China Sea to counter Beijing’s claims

The Philippines anchors buoys in disputed South China Sea to counter Beijing’s claims
On Thursday, Vietnam, which also claims some of the waters, accused a Chinese research ship of violating its EEZ. China had said it was carrying out normal scientific research in areas under Chinese jurisdiction.

Vietnam also hit out at the Philippine coastguard for putting navigational buoys in five areas in its EEZ to assert sovereignty in the Spratlys.

In addition, Philippine military chief Andres Centino addressed a small contingent of navy officers on a remote island in Palawan province near the Spratlys, telling them they had a “very important” role to play in guarding Philippine waters against intruders.

He said the Philippines would deploy more resources and troops to the area as it shifted its focus from internal security to territorial defence.

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