Chinese research vessel near Batanes raises Philippine cable security concerns
The Philippine coastguard says the Chinese research vessel Jia Hai Ke 7 has remained near the Batanes Islands while displaying movements consistent with marine research rather than transit. Manila has raised concerns about subsea cables and says radio challenges received no response.
A Chinese civilian research vessel has spent more than a week operating near the Philippines’ Batanes Islands, prompting concern in Manila about subsea telecommunications cables and maritime activity in the area. Automatic Identification System data tracked by MarineTraffic showed that the Jia Hai Ke 7 left Xiamen on September 19, reached waters near Itbayat on September 22 and remained there through at least Tuesday. The Philippine coastguard confirmed its presence.
Coastguard spokesman Jay Tarriela said the vessel was about 38 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat. He said its movements were inconsistent with innocent passage because it had been loitering and holding position rather than following a steady course. Philippine aerial patrols issued three radio challenges asking the ship to identify its mission and stop unauthorised surveys, but received no response, according to the report.
The Batanes Islands lie between Taiwan and northern Luzon. Manila is concerned about critical subsea telecommunications cables crossing the Luzon Strait and linking Southeast Asia with North America and northeast Asia. The Chinese embassy in Manila said the vessel was operating in waters under Chinese jurisdiction.
The state-run Global Times described its activities as lawful marine geological surveys and scientific investigations, and accused the Philippines of heightening regional tension. The deployment comes amid disagreement over Manila and Tokyo’s decision to begin negotiations on overlapping maritime zones. Beijing has rejected that initiative, saying the waters form part of Chinese maritime zones projected from Taiwan.
The 70-metre Jia Hai Ke 7 is privately owned and equipped with a Dynamic Positioning Class 2 system for station-keeping and offshore geological surveys. The report said similar Chinese research-vessel deployments have caused controversy near Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan.
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