The Philippines denounced the presence of more than 200 “Chinese Maritime Militia” ships in their exclusive economic zone and demanded that Beijing order their withdrawal.

The Philippine government on Sunday demanded the withdrawal of more than 200 ships “of the Chinese maritime militia” located on a disputed reef in the South Sea which bears the name of the Asian giant. describing their presence as “an act of provocation aimed at militarizing the region”.

“We call on the Chinese to end this incursion and immediately withdraw all ships that violate our maritime rights and violate our national sovereignty. “It is a clear action of provocation and militarization of the region. These are territories that are clearly within the exclusive economic zone of the PhilippinesFilipino Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said.

A Philippine government agency monitoring the situation on the high seas detected around 220 vessels in the Whitsun Reef, which is disputed by China and the Philippines, on March 7. The agency released photos of the flotilla in one of the most controversial areas of this maritime corridor.

Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said on his Twitter account Sunday evening that the Philippines had lodged a diplomatic complaint about the Chinese military presence.

China, for its part, has denied the accusations and assured that the fishing boats have moved to the reef to take refuge from the inclement weather. “Chinese fishing boats have long been fishing in the waters near this reefChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said Monday at a regular press conference.

“Due to the bad sea conditions, some have recently taken refuge near the reef […] I think this is a completely normal performance, and I hope it is perceived rationally», He stressed.

The reef, known in the Philippines as Julian Felipe, is approximately 324 kilometers (175 nautical miles) west of the town of Bataraza, in the Philippine province of Palawan. It is in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines and the country “has the right to exploit or conserve the resources there”, according to the official body.

China claims much of the South China Sea, opposed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, which have rival claims to the region. Regarding disputes with Manila, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), based in the Netherlands, ruled in favor of this country in 2016, concluding that Beijing had no “historic rights” to this sea..

The Philippine government specialist agency said the large number of Chinese vessels in the area is “a concern due to the possibility of overfishing and environmental destruction, in addition to the risks to shipping.” .

And although he clarified that for the moment it had not been detected that the boats were engaged in fishing activities, a long history of practices of this nature around the world has led Manila to be on the alert for this possibility.

During the last quarter of 2020, South American countries with coasts in the Pacific Ocean – in particular Chile, Peru and Ecuador – have on various occasions expressed concern about the presence of a fleet of more than 300 vessels close to their respective exclusive economic zones. Therefore, their fleets have kept a close watch on the activities of the vessels due to the possibility of them crossing this maritime border.

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