Chinese navy and marine surveillance forces are closely monitoring activities conducted by the Philippines on a vessel stranded at the Ren’ai Reef in the South China Sea.
The move comes after the Philippines sent three military vessels early this month to repair a worn-out warship that has been stranded at Ren’ai Reef since 1999. The warship has been there allegedly due to a leak it had suffered some time back.
On Tuesday, the Philippines filed a protest with the Chinese Embassy in Manila, saying that the recent presence of Chinese marine surveillance vessels was "illegal and proactive".
The comment was rebuffed by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Thursday. Hong reiterated that China has undisputed sovereignty over Ren’ai Reef and its adjacent waters and the reef is part of China’s Nansha Islands, adding that Chinese ships are entitled to regularly patrol there.