Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 9)— The Philippines has filed yet another protest against China, this time over the return of more than 100 Chinese vessels in the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the vessels were spotted illegally operating in the vicinity in April – around a year after the same swarming incident was reported in the area.
The Julian Felipe Reef is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
“The persistent swarming of Chinese vessels is contrary to international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” the DFA said.
The agency also stressed that the East Asian giant’s lingering presence in the waters is not only illegal, but also a “source of instability in the region.”
The DFA also renewed its call for China to comply with its obligations under the law, and urged the nation to immediately withdraw its vessels from Philippine territory.
The Chinese embassy has yet to issue a comment on the matter.
The Philippine government last week also lodged a diplomatic protest against Beijing for its unilateral imposition of a fishing ban in the South China Sea.
