MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed concern to the Chinese ambassador over Chinese vessels clustered in the South China Sea, his spokesman said, while Vietnam urged Beijing to respect their maritime sovereignty.
International concern has grown in recent days over what the Philippines has described as a “swarming and threatening presence” of more than 200 Chinese ships that he said were manned by maritime militias.
The boats were moored at Whitsun Reef in the exclusive 200-mile economic zone of Manila.
“The president said we are really worried. Any country will be concerned about this number of ships, “Duterte spokesman Harry Roque told a regular news conference.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Vietnam have competing territorial competencies in the South China Sea, through which at least $ 3.4 trillion of annual trade passes.
Roque said Duterte reaffirmed before Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian that the Philippines had won a major arbitration case in 2016, which made clear its sovereign rights amid China’s rival claims.
China’s maritime assertiveness has put Duterte in an awkward position throughout his presidency because of his controversial embrace in Beijing and his reluctance to speak out against it.
Instead, he has accused the United States’ close allies of creating conflicts in the South China Sea.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment on the Duterte meeting.
Wednesday said Whitsun reef vessels were fishing vessels taking refuge from the rough seas. A Philippine military spokesman said China’s defense attaché had denied there were militias on board.
Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said on Thursday that Chinese ships at the reef, which Hanoi calls Da Ba Dau, had violated their sovereignty.
“Vietnam calls on China to stop this violation and respect Vietnam’s sovereignty,” Hang said in a regular briefing.
A Vietnamese Coast Guard boat could be seen moored near the disputed area, according to boat tracking data posted on the Marine Traffic website
Hang said Vietnam’s Coast Guard “exercised its functions as regulated by law,” including international law.
Reports by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila and Phuong Nguyen and James Pearson in Hanoi; Edited by Martin Petty