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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 21) – The National Task Force in the Western Philippine Sea said it received a report that around 220 Chinese maritime militia vessels were sighted on March 7 at the Julian Felipe Reef, which is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone .
In a statement Saturday, the task force said the incident reported by the Coast Guard was cause for concern as the boats at the time were not seen fishing and their white lights were on at night.
“The NTF-WPS indicates this circumstance as a concern due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as the risks to the safety of navigation,” he said.
It is unclear, according to the statement, if the ships are still docked on the reef, but the task force said it will “continue to monitor the situation.”
The reef is claimed by China and Vietnam, but an arbitration tribunal in The Hague recognized the sovereign rights of the Philippines within its exclusive economic zone. However, China rejects the landmark ruling.
In December last year, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative warned that China may have “increased the frequency” of its patrols in the South China Sea during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the areas that Manila claims as the Sea of Western Philippines. In the same report, the US think tank noted that Chinese forces conducted patrols in Scarborough Shoals, also known as Panatag, for a total of 287 days as of December 1, 2019.
LEE: China ‘normalizes presence’ in the Western Philippine Sea with more patrols: US expert group.
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