Whitsun Reef located in the South China sea is now China’s new ground for aggressive expansion in the region. More than hundreds of Chinese vessels have been spotted at a disputed reef, which comes under the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zones.
Philippines’s military aircraft and navy are currently monitoring the situation on daily basis and gave a warning to China that they will be taking further steps and will not hesitate in protecting the sovereignty of the nation if vessels are not summoned back.
The Philippine military response is remarkable they warned china if things are not normalized, they will take support from regional and foreign allies, especially the United States.
Despite the fact that the ships are not fishing and keeping lights on during the night, the Philippines government is concerned that these ships may result in overfishing, degradation of the marine environment, and risks to navigational protection.
This is not the first time that China is doing such activities in the region, a similar thing happened in the year 2012 when control over Scarborough Shoal island was taken by China.
China claims 90 percent of the entire south china sea, which is against the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in which a nation has only access to a 200-mile zone along the shoreline.
China’s response over the issue
Over the existing matter, The Chinese government has reaffirmed that the vessels are small fishing boats seeking shelter from adverse conditions, while reports suggest that the region has no bad weather.
Whitsun Reef, according to China, is a part of the Spratly Islands, and Chinese fishing vessels have long fished in the waters of the Whitsun Reef.
In a report, China’s Foreign office in Manila said, “That there’s no Chinese Maritime Militia as reported.” Any such misinformation serves no purpose other than to irritate.”
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