Philippines says 220 Chinese fishing vessels seen at disputed reef

Bloomberg

The Philippines expressed “concern” after spotting what it said were Chinese fishing vessels at a reef claimed by it and China, with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin saying a diplomatic protest was made over the presence of the boats.
About 220 Chinese vessels were seen moored in line at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea on March 7, a government task force overseeing the disputed seas said in a statement on Saturday.
The area, which the Southeast Asian nation calls Juan Felipe, is a large but shallow boomerang-shaped coral reef within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the task force said. The vessels’ presence is “a concern due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safety of navigation,” it said.
Both China and the Philippines have overlapping claims in the resource-rich South China Sea. In January, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China’s law giving its coast guard freedom to fire on foreign vessels.
Locsin said on Twitter on Sunday evening that a diplomatic protest was “fired off tonight.”