MANILA, March 31 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Chinese vessels
believed to be manned by militias in the South China Sea have
spread to a wider area, the Philippines said on Wednesday,
defying its demand for the flotilla to be withdrawn immediately.
The Philippines has described the presence of the boats
inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone at Whitsun Reef as
"swarming and threatening", while Canada, Australia, the United
States, Japan and others have voiced concern about China's
intentions, prompting rebukes by Beijing.
Chinese diplomats have said the boats were sheltering from
rough seas and no militia were aboard.
In a statement, the Philippines' task force on the South
China Sea expressed "deep concern over the continuing unlawful
presence (swarming) of the Chinese maritime militia, which did
not pull out."
"Neither the Philippines nor the international community
will ever accept China's assertion of its so-called
'indisputable integrated sovereignty' over almost all of the
South China Sea," the task force said, urging an immediate
withdrawal of the vessels.
The Philippine position over Chinese boats is one of the
strongest since President Rodrigo Duterte took power in 2016 and
sought to befriend Beijing, which has frustrated nationalists
who say he has been soft on China, hurt ties with the United
States and gambled with national sovereignty.
Citing intelligence gathered by its own patrols, the task
force said 44 vessels were still at Whitsun Reef and about 200
others were spread out around other parts of the Spratly
islands, including near China's militarised manmade islands,
where four of its navy boats were seen.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said
Washington stands by its ally, the Philippines, in the face of
China's massing maritime militia at Whitsun Reef.