The United States has expressed concern over the presence of more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels near a maritime reef in southern China, saying Beijing uses “maritime militias to intimidate, provoke and threaten other nations.”
Chinese ships “have been mooring this area for many months in increasing numbers, regardless of the weather,” the U.S. embassy in the Philippines said in a statement. China earlier he said his boats near Whitsun Reef were protected from the wind.
“We are with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia,” the U.S. embassy said. Manila has filed a diplomatic protest in China and called for Chinese ships to immediately abandon what they consider part of their exclusive economic zone.
Chinese vessels are “blatantly violating Philippine sovereignty” and the nation is demanding that China “direct its fishing vessels to refrain from environmentally destructive activities,” the Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The incident occurs in the middle of the sequel tensions between the US and China, and while the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte establishes friendly ties with Beijing maintaining its alliance with Washington.
Duterte will discuss the incident with the Chinese envoy to Manila, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Tuesday, reiterating that the two nations can talk about things as friends. More than 180 boats were still near the reef, the Philippine military said after patrolling the area on Monday.
(Add the statement of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs to the fourth paragraph)