Chinese show naval strength at disputed reef in Philippines waters

Robert Besser
25 Mar 2021, 12:21 GMT+10

The Philippine government has said it was concerned by a build-up of 200 Chinese vessels positioned off disputed reefs in the South China Sea.
The Philippine defense minister demanded that the Chinese vessels depart Filipino waters.
The reef lies 175 miles west of the Filipino town of Bataraza in the western Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines: While stopping short of lodging a protest, the Philippine government says it is concerned by a build-up of 200 Chinese vessels positioned off reefs in the South China Sea, which both countries claim as their territory.

However, the Philippine defense minister, Delfin Lorenzana, demanded on Sunday that the Chinese vessels depart Filipino waters, saying anchoring the fleet off the reefs was a "provocative action of militarizing the area."

"We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory," Lorenzana said in a statement.

The reef lies 175 miles west of the Filipino town of Bataraza in the western Philippines.

The large numbers of Chinese boats are "a concern due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safety of navigation," the government said.

The Chinese embassy in Manilla has not commented on the controversy.

Besides the Philippines, for decades four other governments have protested Chinese claims to ownership of the busy waterway.

Following a similar incursion two years ago, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said, "If I send my marines to drive away the Chinese fishermen, I guarantee you not one of them will come home alive."

However, Renato Reyes, a left-wing politician, recently said, "We cannot barter our exclusive economic zone, even for China's vaccine. We must protest the latest incursions."