Ayungin is ours, PH tells China

Manila has vowed to “defend what is ours” as part of a standoff over a Chinese warship circling a South China Sea reef which is occupied by Filipino marines. The Philippines this week protested the “provocative and illegal presence” of the warship near Ayungin Reef, also called Second Thomas Shoal, but China brushed off the complaint with an insistence that the area was part of its territory. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said two China Marine Surveillance ships and a frigate were spotted near the reef on May 21, approximately 120 nautical miles from the town of Rizal, Palawan. Another 10 dinghies were seen, possibly fishing in Philippine territory. The area is not disputed, Gazmin says. “That is clearly an intrusion, a violation. They already entered our territory.”

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Read Japan’s stand on PH’s move to bring dispute to international arbitration here