Philippines deploys air force as tensions over Chinese ships rise | Al Jazeera

The Philippines’ air force has been conducting daily aerial patrols over Chinese fishing vessels parked near a disputed reef, the country’s defence chief said, as he repeated a call to Beijing for their withdrawal from their area.

The diplomatic row was touched off earlier this month when some 220 boats were first spotted at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef, west of Palawan Island.

The Philippines ordered China to recall the vessels, describing their presence as an incursion into its sovereign territory. But China, which claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, said the flotilla is made up of fishing vessels sheltering from bad weather.

The Philippine foreign ministry has filed a diplomatic protest, while several countries – including the United States and Australia – have expressed concern over the renewed tension in the region.

Philippine navy and coast guard ships have been deployed to the area to monitor the situation, in addition to the aerial patrols, according to the defence secretary, Delfin Lorenzana.

“We are ready to defend our national sovereignty and protect the marine resources of the Philippines,” Lorenzana said late on Saturday.

He added there will be an “increased presence” of navy and coast guard ships patrolling Philippine waters.