Tension between Philippines and China have escalated due to illegal presence of China in South China Sea

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Illegal presence and activities by China in the nearby island of South China Sea of Philippines has led to protest by the nation on 28th May.

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A diplomatic protest was registered by Manila over the ‘incessant deployment, prolonged presence, and illegal activities of Chinese maritime assets and fishing vessels’ in the proximity of Thitu island also known as Pag-asa Islands. It has demanded China to withdraw its vessels from the region.

This tension between two nations has soared over the months-long presence of hundreds of Chinese boats in the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of Philippines. The sovereignty and Jurisdiction of Thitu Island belongs to Philippines. Thitu Island is 451 km from the mainland and is the greatest of the eight reefs, shoals and islands it occupies in the Spratly archipelago.

China has built a mini-city with runways, hangars and surface-to-air-missiles in the Subi Reef that is about 25 km from Thitu.

Philippines has filed 84th diplomatic protest against China since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016.

An international tribunal that year nullified China's expansive claim in the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion worth of maritime trade passes annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have contended claim to various islands and features in the area.