The Philippine Coast Guard escorted the CCP research vessel from the EEZ in stark contrast to the NZ, which invited the NZ and Australia, which ignored it.
The Philippines has shown a different attitude towards the presence of CCP research vessels in the same territorial waters as Australia and New Zealand in March this year, with the coast guards escorting ships from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Tan Suo 3 first detected marine science research about 92 nautical miles (nm) (171 kilometres) from Burgos, Ilocos Norte, on May 1.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed the main patrol vessels, BRP Teresa Magvanua and aircraft, forcing CCP vessels outside the country’s 220 nautical-Mile Eez. It left without any problems and took up the 250 nm position.
While in the waters of the Philippines, Tan Su-3 deployed an artificial submarine, Shenhai Yunsi or deep-sea warrior, designed for deep-sea exploration and scientific research, capable of diving deep into 4,500 meters.
PCG has recovered the unidentified yellow device. It says it could be part of the equipment used by Chinese people in their research work.
Tan Su 3 leaves the Philippines water. Courtesy of the Philippines Coast Guard.
The Philippines’ rapid and nonsense response to the CCP’s research vessel’s invasion of the EEZ is in contrast to that of New Zealand and Australia.
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In January this year, New Zealand’s National Water and Atmospheric Research Institute (NIWA) invited Tan Suu Yi Hao to conduct a 56-day “deep sea exploration of marine biodiversity in New Zealand’s subtype waters.” This was CCP’s second collaboration with New Zealand, using its deep-sea dive capacity Fen de Zhe.
This expedition marked the first exploration of the Pusegur trench, a deep rift of 800 km (km) long on the seabed.
A spokesman for Niwa said that Tan Suo Ti Hao’s involvement was necessary. The Fen Dou Zhe is the only research-focused submarine in the world that can currently dive into the deepest part of the ocean (approximately 11,000 meters).
“This expedition regained unprecedented footage of life at the Puisagher Trench, as well as the first ever biological specimen and image of the seabed,” the spokesman told the Epoch Times.
In a function at the Chinese Embassy in Wellington, CCP’s ambassador King Xiaolong called the study “a bilateral crown jewel that evolves mutually beneficial partnerships.”
Tan Su Yi Hao. Photos from the CCP Institute of Acoustics.
New Zealand’s Minister of Defense Judith Collins said: “As the Defense Forces maintain awareness of overseas ships in the maritime territory into our area, there have been defensive and security concerns about having a CCP vessel mapping area that could potentially hide submarines,” said NZ Minister of Defense Judith Collins.
“However, the NZDF has not actively monitored it as it has visited New Zealand and approved it to do business with NIWA here.”
She was not drawn to whether New Zealand informed Australia of the presence of the vessel before, during or after it had left New Zealand’s territory and sailed along Australia’s southern coastline.
It’s a trajectory that seems to surprise Australia, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that the ship hadn’t done so, but had not violated international law.
The Australian Department of Defense has deployed P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to monitor the ship’s activities.
In a statement, Vice Admiral Justin Jones said that Tan Sue Yi Hao entered the Australian EEZ from the Tasman Sea on March 27th and then passed through the Base Strait between March 28th and 29th, making steady progress. After that, I spent about 400 nautical miles (741 km) southeast of Perth.
Returning back to China via Australia’s southern coast was not the most direct route for the vessel, and the CCP also gave no reason to halt its progress for 12, another 17, or even 17 hours while east of the Australian coast.
This led to many Chinese watchers to speculate that it unfolded. Fen de Gee explores and maps Diamantina’s grooves between 550 and 630 nm from Australia’s coast.
One of them is Ray Powell, a 35-year U.S. Air Force veteran, director of Sealight and Project Lead at Stanford University’s Goldian Knot Center.
The map of the road, taken by Tan Sue Yi Hao in 2023, comes from repeated crossing the area of the Diamantina trench after passing through Australia’s southern coast. Courtesy Ray Powell/via starboard_nz
What does Seamapping achieve?
Submarines rely on submarine relief to navigate and hide. Therefore, it is essential to understand the shape and composition of the seabed.
The CCP has obvious strategic advantages if the new submarine base being built in Perth allows them to even secretly search from movements of troops from deep ditches that the US and Australia do not detect in order to serve as the operational center of the Aux Fleet’s southern hemisphere.
The “most obvious” reason for CCP to conduct deep-sea research in Australia and New Zealand is to encourage the deployment of submarine forces, including those armed with nuclear missiles in “strategic deep-sea locations.”
The Australian Department of Defense was asked by the Epoch Times to comment on the security risks posed by the work of Tan Su Yi Hao off the Australian coast. We asked whether New Zealand informed them of the existence of ships in the South Pacific and whether existing countersubmarine technology could detect foreign submarines in the Dimantina Trench.
However, they declined to comment.
