The country s foreign affairs chief orders the firing of another diplomatic protest against China after 287 of its vessels were spotted still in Palawan s Kalayaan town in the West Philippine Sea.
Some 287 Chinese vessels suspected to be maritime militia remain scattered over various parts of the Kalayaan town in Palawan, both within and outside the country’s exclusive economic zone, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea reported on Wednesday.
The controversy over the presence of Chinese ships in the Philippine EEZ has led to criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged softness toward China.
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At the bottom of the contested waters lies a supply of the rare earth minerals crucial to China’s tech ambitions.
By
May 06, 2021
In this March 31, 2021, file photo provided by the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, Chinese vessels are moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea.
Credit: National Task Force-West Philippine Sea via AP, File
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In March of this year, over 200 Chinese marine militia ships gathered at Whitsun Reef in the Spratly Islands. Their presence was an ominous reminder of China’s intention to claim large swaths of the South China Sea, enclosed by the so-called “nine-dash line,” as its sovereign territory. Philippine officials sounded the alarm and reiterated the 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal that denied the legality of China’s previous claims. Chinese officials dismissed the ruling and its implications and dow