KEY POINTS

  • More than 200 Chinese vessels were spotted near the Philippines' Julian Felipe reef
  • A former Supreme Court justice said the Chinese presence may be a "prelude to occupying" the reef
  • The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest 

More Philippine Navy ships have been ordered to patrol in the South China Sea as Beijing continues to refuse Manila's demand that more than 200 of its military ships leave a disputed reef area, according to reports.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s Karen Davila, former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio said the gathering of the Chinese vessels manned by the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militias, sometimes referred to as China’s “little blue men,” at the Julian Felipe Reef is a possible indication that China is planning to invade the coral region.

“In 2020, they also parked hundreds of their ships in the Julian Felipe Reef. The way I look at it, this is a prelude to occupying Julian Felipe Reef just like what they did to Mischief Reef in 1995,” Carpio said.

Carpio was referring to China taking over Mischief Reef, which led a small fisherman’s shelter over the reef to expand into a military base featuring a significant array of weapons.

Carpio also said that Beijing’s donation of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to Manila might be a way of diminishing the severity of China's actions. “It is possible that China is encroaching on our maritime zones but softening it by sending us vaccines,” he added.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Tuesday said the Biden administration will continue to support the Philippines over the issue in the disputed area.

“The U.S. stands with our ally, the Philippines, regarding concerns about the gathering of PRC maritime militia vessels near Whitsun Reef. We call on Beijing to stop using its maritime militia to intimidate and provoke others, which undermines peace and security,” Price wrote in a tweet.

The Julian Felipe Reef is a boomerang-shaped, shallow coral region located 201 miles (324 kilometers) west of Bataraza town in the province of Palawan. It is lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin on late Sunday announced that the Philippine government has filed a diplomatic protest over the presence of the Chinese vessels.

Chinese vessels gathered near a disputed reef in the South China Sea are 'fishing boats' sheltering from poor weather, following a protest from the Philippines
Chinese vessels gathered near a disputed reef in the South China Sea are 'fishing boats' sheltering from poor weather, following a protest from the Philippines AFP / NICOLAS ASFOURI
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