Philippine Foreign Ministry Summons Chinese Ambassador Over Ships In Disputed Sea Area

The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines said on Tuesday it summoned China's ambassador because of the presence of Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef, a disputed area in the South China Sea

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2021) The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines said on Tuesday it summoned China's ambassador because of the presence of Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef, a disputed area in the South China Sea.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian on 12 April 2021. The DFA expressed displeasure over the illegal lingering presence of Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef," the statement said.

The ministry told the ambassador that the reef "lies within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of the Philippines," describing the presence of Chinese vessels as a "source of regional tension."

The ministry reiterated its demand for the Chinese ships' immediate withdrawal from the Philippine territorial waters.

In March, Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana urged Beijing to withdraw the 220 fishing ships, believed to be controlled by Chinese militia forces, from the disputed waters.

Julian Felipe Reef, also known as Whitsun Reef, is a part of the Spratly Islands located in the south of the South China Sea. This area has been disputed for decades among Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam because of its significant hydrocarbon reserves. In July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague decided that China lacked legal basis for its maritime claims, a ruling that Beijing never recognized.