By Zachary Keck
This week a Chinese warship and a couple of maritime agency vessels conducted a patrol in the areas of the Spratly Islands that the Philippines claims, prompting an official rebuke from Manila.
According to Philippines officials, at least three Chinese ships and 10 fishing boats were spotted near the Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Spratly Islands and about 200 kms off the coast of the Philippine island of Palawan.
Briefing reporters this week, Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said, “We saw a frigate. We saw CMS (Chinese maritime surveillance) maritime ships. We have pictures and we have sent them to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Based on [the photos] that I saw yesterday, there were two CMS and one frigate.”
Gazmin added that the presence of a Chinese military ship was “unusual.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat