China, Philippines swap protests over Manila-occupied island

The Philippines has asked China to withdraw its ships from the vicinity of a Philippine-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has demanded that China withdraw its ships and fishing vessels from the vicinity of a Philippine-occupied island in the South China Sea, where the Chinese military has asserted its sovereignty and vowed to “unswervingly safeguard” the disputed territory. The exchange of protests by the Asian neighbors over the island, internationally called Thitu, is the latest flareup in a long simmering territorial feud in the strategic waterway that has escalated in the last two months. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said Saturday it has filed a diplomatic protest against “the incessant deployment, prolonged presence and illegal activities of Chinese maritime assets and fishing vessels in the vicinity of the Pag-asa islands.” It used the Philippine name for Thitu, which China calls Zhongye Dao. The department demanded that China withdraw its vessels from near the island, which it said “is an integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction.”