The Philippines monitors Chinese marine survey ships and coast guard ships, and Taiwan’s coast guard ships are also present in relevant waters.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stated that it is continuously monitoring a Chinese marine survey ship and two Chinese coast guard ships wandering in the northern waters of the Philippines. PCG also disclosed that three Taiwanese coast guard ships also appeared in relevant waters to monitor Chinese marine survey ships.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela posted on Facebook last night that the Chinese marine survey ship "Jiahaike 7" has moved north from its previous position in the waters of Itbayat Island in the Batanes Islands in the northern Philippines for many days, and sailed towards the Luzon Strait on the outer edge of the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

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Tarijela mentioned that as the "Jiahaike 7" approached the Luzon Strait, three Taiwanese coast guard ships also appeared in relevant waters, operating near the Philippine Coast Guard patrol ship "BRP Teresa Magbanua".

The post stated that the Taiwan Coast Guard 1001 is about 0.89 nautical miles away from the port bow of the USS Magbanua, the Taiwan Coast Guard 1002 is about 1.18 nautical miles away, and the Taiwan Coast Guard 126 is about 5.45 nautical miles away.

The Philippine Coast Guard stated on the 1st that "Jiahaike 7" had appeared in the waters of Ibaiya Island in late September and may have concealed its actual track through automatic identification system (AIS) signal spoofing. It expressed concern about its movements and the possibility of collecting seabed data.

Tarijela pointed out that the coast guard ship dispatched by China was the "Jiahaike 7" escorting the alleged commercial vessel, which showed that the "Jiahaike 7" was not acting independently, but was carrying out activities related to China's national interests.

He reiterated that the Philippine government has never received an application from "Jiahaike 7" to conduct marine scientific research in the Philippines' exclusive economic waters, nor has it granted relevant permission. The appearance of other law enforcement ships (referring to Taiwan Coast Guard) shows that it is not just the Philippines that is concerned about the actions of Chinese research ships.

The Philippine-Taiwan patrol ships appeared at the same time, and some Filipino netizens interpreted it as maritime cooperation between the Philippines and Taiwan. One netizen left a message with the flags of the Philippines and the Republic of China and a heart icon; one netizen mentioned that the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and Taiwan overlap, and the appearance of the Taiwan Coast Guard is not surprising. Another netizen expressed the hope that the Philippines and Taiwan can jointly respond to China's maritime actions.

Regarding the presence of three Taiwanese coast guard ships in the Bashi Strait, whether it represents coordinated actions between Taiwan and the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement units, Rommel, former deputy commander of the Philippine Navy. Rommel Jude Ong said in an interview with Central News Agency that he prefers to view the actions of both parties as independent surveillance activities rather than joint operations.

Rommel. Wang said there will be logistical challenges if there is to be substantial coordination.

Mentioning the strategic importance of the Bashi Strait, Rommel. Wang analyzed that if China attacks Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army may try to control Taiwan's Kaohsiung Port. To achieve this, it needs to control the Bashi Strait, and the Batanes Islands can act as a check on this action. Therefore, the Philippines will increase its military deployment in the northern region and shift some military exercises to the north.

Tarriera had earlier warned that there are submarine cables connecting the Philippines to Northeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region in the waters near the Batanes Islands and the Luzon Strait. If the marine survey captain stays at a fixed point for a long time, it may endanger the security of the submarine communication infrastructure, and the collected information may also be used for military purposes.

In addition, military experts also pointed out that the Bashi Strait is a key "throat point" connecting the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean and heading to the east coast of Taiwan. The water depth is more than 5,000 meters, allowing submarines to pass through without being detected.