📡 5 April 2021: MAILONLINE > It comes a day after outspoken Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana accused Beijing of planning to occupy more 'features' in the waters - where Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have rival claims. - #Taiwan

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 07:39 EDT, 5 April 2021 

UPDATED: 07:46 EDT, 5 April 2021

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9436923/Beijing-muscles-South-China-Sea-filling-hundreds-boats-act-aggression.html

'The Chinese ambassador has a lot of explaining to do,' Lorenzana said in a statement on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's foreign ministry had accused China of violating their sovereignty and demanded the ships leave. 

China responded to the complaints with foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying saying that Chinese fishermen 'have been fishing in the waters near the reef all along' - something that Philippine officials say there is no evidence of. 

Beijing often invokes the so-called nine-dash line to justify its apparent historic rights over most of the South China Sea, and has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared this assertion as without basis.  

The Philippine foreign ministry, which has already lodged a diplomatic protest over the ships, vowed Monday to send a complaint 'for every day' Beijing delays pulling out the vessels.  

In an apparent reference to China's donation of Covid-19 vaccines, Panelo said the Philippines appreciated the 'humanitarian gesture'.

But he added: 'We will not be blinded however by any act done by it in violation of international law and in derogation of our sovereign rights.'         

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