Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana Monday asked China to stop violating maritime rights and withdraw more than 220 fishing vessels from Philippines' territorial waters in the South China Sea.
Lorenzana said that the fleet of large fishing boats that are moored at Whitsun Reef, called the Julian Felipe Reef in the Philippines, do not seem to be crewed by fishermen. The official claimed that he had received reports indicating that the vessels were being crewed by China's maritime militia.
"We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory," Lorenzana said.
Whitsun Reef lies within the country's exclusive economic zone. Lorenzana said that parking the fishing vessels at the reef is a "provocative action of militarizing the area."
China has yet to release an official response. The country has been known to use fishing fleets to assert its territorial claims.
In 2019, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that the country is unable to confront China about the dispute head-on. He defended his non-confrontational approach and said that sending more troops to the area would only result in their deaths.
"When Xi says 'I will fish' who can prevent him. If I send my marines to drive away the Chinese fishermen, I guarantee you not one of them will come home alive," Duterte was quoted in saying.
China still claims sovereignty over 90% of the South China Sea despite being overruled by an international court more than five years ago. Southeast Asian countries such as Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and the Philippines have been contesting China's claim for decades.
The Chinese government has repeatedly said that it is sticking to its claim of the area under the "nine-dash line." To enforce its claim, China has built a massive presence in the territory by reclaiming islands and building military installations in several reefs.
The country also sends out regular patrols in the region.
China has dismissed criticism over its "aggressive" actions in the contested waters, maintaining that its intentions are peaceful.
