China sends more ships to disputed shoal
China has deployed more ships to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea amid a tense stand-off with the Philippines, officials and state media said on Wednesday.
As of Monday night, there were five Chinese government vessels -- up from three -- and 16 fishing boats in the area, the Philippine foreign department said.
Manila has lodged a fresh protest with the Chinese embassy over the build-up, department spokesman Raul Hernandez said.
Using the shoal's Philippine name, Hernandez added: "The Philippines, therefore, demands that China's vessels immediately pull out from Bajo de Masinloc and the Philippines' exclusive economic zone."
China's official Xinhua news agency said controls have been "strengthened" in the area and quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying it had "about 20 fishing boats" near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, "roughly the same number as in previous years".
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/china-sends...173705696.html
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