Chinese ship accuses of capturing Philippine rocket debris

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21st Nov, 2022. 07:09 pm
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A floating object, thought to be rocket debris, was allegedly “forcefully retrieved” from a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea by a Chinese coast guard vessel.
A Chinese ship twice impeded their course, according to Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos of the Philippine Navy.
Sailors in the Philippines have seized rocket fragments believed to be from China’s Long March 5B rocket.

A floating object, thought to be rocket debris, was allegedly “forcefully retrieved” from a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea by a Chinese coast guard vessel.

A Chinese ship twice impeded their course, according to Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos of the Philippine Navy, before finally grabbing the object.

Officials from China have not yet responded to the accusations.

As US Vice President Kamala Harris travels to the Philippines, it happens.

According to Vice Adm. Carlos, the debris was initially discovered on Sunday at 06:45 local time (22:45 GMT on Saturday), close to the Philippine-controlled Pagasa Island, also known as Thitu Island.

Officers arrived at the scene, he continued, and discovered an unexplained floating object that was “metallic.”

As they were towing the object back, a Chinese coast guard vessel with the bow number 5203 approached their location and “subsequently blocked their pre-plotted course twice”.

He said the Chinese boat then “forcefully retrieved” the object by cutting the towing line attached to the Philippines’ rubber boat. No one was injured in the incident, he added.

Spokesperson Cheryl Tindog said the sailors did not fight the seizure since it was “not a matter of life and death”.

The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines stated that they were aware of the occurrence and that a review would be carried out.

Similar metal debris was discovered earlier this month in Calintaan town in Occidental Mindoro province and near Busuanga island in western Palawan.

Officials had previously stated that they thought the fragments were probably from China’s Long March 5B rocket, which launched earlier in November from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the island of Hainan.

More than 1,000km (621 miles) separate the location of the most recent item from Hainan island.

Prior to now, China has been under fire for allowing rocket stages to crash back to Earth.

China has been urged by the US space agency Nasa in the past to create rockets that break up into smaller parts during re-entry, in accordance with international standards.

The incident occurs just before the US Vice President is scheduled to travel to the Philippine island of Palawan, which is located in the bitterly disputed South China Sea.

Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gained office, Ms. Harris is the highest-ranking US official to travel to the Philippines, and her trip is probably intended to improve relations with Manila.

“We stand with you in defense of international rules and norms as it relates to the South China Sea,” Ms. Harris told Mr. Marcos at the start of talks.

One of the most contentious areas in the globe is the South China Sea, where a number of nations contend for control of its small islands and reefs as well as access to its natural riches.

China has reportedly made centuries-old claims to the disputed region in recent years, and it has been swiftly strengthening its military presence to support those claims.

Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and most of Southeast Asia disagree with China’s claim to practically the entire South China Sea.

Chinese ship accuses of capturing Philippine rocket debris

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