'China blatantly violates Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction'

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on March 23 that the presence and activities of hundreds of Chinese vessels near the Whitsun Reef (also known as Whitsun Reef), about 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza town in Palawan province, western Philippines, were “a flagrant violation of Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction”. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs demands that China immediately withdraw its fishing and maritime vessels and cease its environmentally destructive activities.

According to the Ministry of Foreign AffairsPhilippines, “China’s continued encroachments, despite the resolute protests of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, are contrary to international law and the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

The US Embassy in Manila said the United States stood with the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, in opposing the presence of Chinese vessels. According to the US Embassy in Manila, China's presence in the South China Sea is intended to "intimidate and provoke" other countries in the region.

In response to the Philippines' diplomatic protest, China denied it and called it "a trick" that caused "unnecessary discomfort." The Chinese Embassy in Manila justified the bad weather as some Chinese "fishing boats" took shelter in the area where the Philippines discovered it, saying it was "normal" and hoped all parties would "consider it wisely."

Earlier, the Philippine Coast Guard reported an unusual concentration of many Chinese ships at a coral reef in the East Sea./.