A Philippine Coast Guard Vessel Is Taking on a Chinese ‘Monster’ Ship
An ongoing standoff between the Chinese and Philippine coast guards underscores the contentiousness of the situation.
The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) belligerence and brinkmanship against the democratic allies of the United States of America in the Indo-Pacific region continue unabated.
One particular longstanding U.S. ally in the region that has been particularly beset by PRC harassment is the Philippines, which is a matter of no small import to American policymakers because the United States and the Philippines have had a mutual defense treaty (MDT) in place since 1951. And an ongoing standoff between the coast guards of the PRC and the Philippines serves to underscore the contentiousness of the situation and gives readers the impression of a twenty-first-century David vs. Goliath struggle.
A Philippine and Chinese Standoff at Sea
The story comes from a January 2025 article by Newsweek’s Micah McCartney—republished on MSN—titled “Satellite Photo Captures US Ally’s Standoff With China’s ‘Monster Ship.’”
“New satellite imagery shows the Philippines continuing to monitor China’s presence in its maritime zone, including the movements of a colossal Chinese coast guard (CCG) ship nicknamed the ‘Monster.’ … The Philippines has long complained about CCG activity within its exclusive economic zone [EEZ] … ‘Today marks the 16th day of the China Coast Guard’s illegal deployment of its vessel off the coast of Zambales,’ Philippine coast guard spokesperson [Commodore] Jay Tarriela wrote Monday on X (formerly Twitter). Zambales is a province in the Philippines’ Central Luzon region … Tarriela lauded the ‘brave men and women of the Philippine coast guard’ who have continued to broadcast radio challenges to and shadow the Chinese vessels.”
Head-to-Head: Specifications of the Sparring Vessels
The “Monster Ship” referenced in the title of McCartney’s article is the Chinese Coast Guard’s CCG 5901, which is reportedly the world’s largest coast guard cutter (and even larger than some U.S. Navy (USN) destroyers and even the USN’s Ticonderoga-class guided missiles cruisers, with a displacement of 12,000 tons, a hull length of 540 feet (164.89 meters), and top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph); this size & speed combo is made even more intimidating by an armament consisting of an H/PJ-26 76 mm naval gun, two 30 mm auxiliary guns, and two anti-aircraft guns.
By contrast, the Philippine Coast Guard cutter BRP Gabriela Silang (launched in 2019 and commissioned in 2020; named for a revolutionary leader during the Filippino struggle for independence from Spain), which is also the largest vessel ever to be commissioned into service with the Philippine Coast Guard, sports a hull length measuring a mere 274 feet (83.6 meters) and a top speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). (For whatever reason, none of the multiple military and/or maritime websites I looked up provided either the displacement tonnage or the armament of Gabriela Silang, so if any of you dear readers out there could provide this information, it’d be greatly appreciated; Salamat–po/thank you very much in advance.)
As I said before, this is a true David vs. Goliath faceoff.
The Way Forward?
With the new Trump administration being a little more than a week old, it’s too early to tell if the newer and more assertive leadership in the White House, at the Pentagon, and in Foggy Bottom will be more successful than the preceding administration in dissuading China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region in general and against the Philippines in particular.
But there are encouraging signs so far: new U.S. secretary of defense (SECDEF) Pete Hegseth recognizes the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as “front and center” among foreign threats to the United States; meanwhile, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio not only mirrors SECDEF Hegseth’s sentiments on the CCP, but also placed a call last week to his Filipino counterpart, Philippine secretary of foreign affairs Enrique A. Manalo. As per State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce:
“Secretary Rubio conveyed that the PRC’s behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law. The Secretary underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty. The Secretaries also exchanged views on ways to advance security cooperation, expand economic ties for shared prosperity, and deepen avenues for further regional cooperation.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: Wikimedia Commons courtesy of the Philippine Coast Guard. Public domain.