MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed concern to the Chinese ambassador about Chinese ships focusing on the South China Sea, his spokesman said, as Vietnam urged Beijing to respect its maritime sovereignty.
International concern has increased in recent days over what the Philippines has described as a “presence of swarm and threat” of more than 200 Chinese vessels believed to have been manned by maritime militias.
The boats were moored at the Whitsun Reef, in the exclusive 200-mile economic zone of Manila.
“The president said that we are very concerned. Any country will be concerned with this number of ships, ”said Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, at a regular news conference.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Vietnam have competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, where at least $ 3.4 trillion in annual trade passes.
Roque said Duterte reaffirmed to China’s ambassador, Huang Xilian, that the Philippines won a historic arbitration case in 2016, which made clear its sovereign rights amid rival Chinese claims.
China’s maritime assertiveness put Duterte in a difficult position during his presidency due to his controversial acceptance of Beijing and his reluctance to speak out against it.
Instead, he accused a great ally of the United States of creating a conflict in the South China Sea.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment on the Duterte meeting.
On Wednesday, he said the ships on Whitsun Reef were fishing boats that took refuge in the rough seas. A Filipino military spokesman said China’s defense attaché denied that there were militias on board.
Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said on Thursday that Chinese ships on the reef, which Hanoi calls Da Ba Dau, have infringed on its sovereignty.
“Vietnam calls on China to stop this breach and respect Vietnam’s sovereignty,” Hang said at a regular briefing.
A Vietnamese coast guard ship can be seen moored near the disputed area on Thursday, according to ship tracking data published by the Marine Traffic website.
Hang said the Vietnamese coastguard is “exercising its functions as regulated by law”, including international law.
Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila and Phuong Nguyen and James Pearson in Hanoi; Martin Petty Edition