From 220 ships that scattered in April amid the Philippines’ Balikatan naval drills with the United States, the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) militia now maintains 300 sea vessels within and in proximity to the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Several Vietnamese ships were also observed within the WPS. Unlike in March when the PLA vessels — China’s de-facto navy, actually — were anchored hull-to-hull to deny Filipino fishermen entry into their EEZ and traditional trawling area, the Chinese vessels remain scattered, but their number has become unsettling for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).

Roson, J. (2021, May 13). 300 Chinese ships in WPS. Daily Tribune, pp. A1, A2.