JAKARTA - The Philippine government sent two new diplomatic protests against China over the presence of several vessels it said were threatening to gather in contested areas in the South China Sea, Friday, April 23.
Over the past few times, the Philippines has continued to voice its objections to the presence of hundreds of Chinese ships in the 200-mile-long Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), testing relations between the two countries that have been trying to restore their historic rifts.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry said maritime officials had observed the continued presence and activity of illegal Chinese militias of 160 fishing vessels and militias around the disputed Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, on April 20. Five Chinese coast guard ships were also seen around the area.
"The presence of Chinese ships that continues to swarm and threaten creates an atmosphere of instability and blatantly ignores China's commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region", the Philippine Foreign Ministry said as reported by Reuters, Friday, April 23.
It happened when the Philippines announced an increase in its ship presence in its EEZ. Under international law, foreign ships are allowed to sail through a country's EEZ.
The Chinese diplomat denied that the militias were on board the ship. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday about the new protests.
Earlier, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte stressed that he is ready to send warships to the South China Sea, to defend territorial claims, as well as claims of existing oil and mineral resources in the region.
Duterte's statement was issued because Manila was frustrated with China's actions in the South China Sea. This step was taken as well as answering the criticism directed at him.
Critics say Duterte is soft on Beijing and is reluctant to push the Bamboo Curtain country to comply with arbitration decisions. Duterte emphasized that the public should not hesitate in his assertiveness regarding the rights and sovereignty of the Philippines in the South China Sea.
"I'm not that interested right now in fishing. I don't think there are enough fish to argue with. But when we start mining, when we start getting whatever is in the bowels of the South China Sea, our oil, at that point I'll send the ash ship (warship) to make a claim", Duterte said in a late Monday public speech local time.
To note, China claims almost the entire South China Sea, the international trade route with a value of up to 3 trillion US dollars per year.
An international arbitration tribunal in 2016 overturned China's expansionary claim, which was based on its own maps. Apart from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam also have competing claims over various islands and features.
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