The Philippines has accused China of “swarming” a reef off its coast after more than 135 military boats were spotted in the South China Sea.
The coast guard said the boats were “dispersed and scattered” in the vicinity of Whitsun Reef, which it says is within its exclusive economic zone.
They said the growing presence of these military boats was “alarming”.
The South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute between China, the Philippines and other countries.
Whitsun Reef - which the Philippines calls Julian Felipe Reef - is around 320km (200 miles) west of Palawan Island, more than 1,000km from the nearest major Chinese landmass of Hainan island.
This is the result of China’s “nine dash line.” If the countries impacted, Vietnam, Philippines, Mtaylasia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc., started a discussion at the UN, it would immediately implicate Taiwan, and nobody wants to touch that. So, local scuffles will continue, as China flexes her muscle.