Photo courtesy of AFP

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla confirmed that the Chinese research vessel "Shen Kuo" disabled its automatic identification system (AIS). AIS is utilized to track a ship's position at sea. This confirmation comes after the vessel was spotted deploying unidentified equipment within the country's territory, potentially for maritime research.

Meanwhile, three Chinese research vessels entered the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines on April 21, with their current location reported to be Pag-asa Island. The AFP continues to conduct maritime patrols to monitor the latest whereabouts of these vessels.