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Philippines to Increase Military Presence Near Island Disputed by China

© AP Photo / Bullit MarquezThis photo taken from a C-130 transport plane with Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces Chief Gen. Eduardo Ano shows Thitu Island off the South China Sea on April 21, 2017.
This photo taken from a C-130 transport plane with Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces Chief Gen. Eduardo Ano shows Thitu Island off the South China Sea on April 21, 2017. - Sputnik India, 1920, 22.12.2022
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Philippine Department of National Defense instructed the country's military on Thursday to increase its presence in the South China Sea in response to Chinese military activity registered off the disputed island of Thitu.
"Any encroachment in the WPS [West Philippine Sea] or reclamation on the features therein is a threat to the security of Pag-asa Island [the island of Thitu], which is part of Philippine sovereign territory. We strongly urge China to uphold the prevailing rules-based international order and refrain from acts that will exacerbate tensions in the WPS and the larger South China Sea," the department said in a statement, as quoted by Philippine News Agency.
At the same time, the Philippine western command (Wescom) said it has noticed the presence of Chinese warships at three locations in the disputed region, which Manila claims as its territory, according to the news agency.
"Wescon shall continue conducting maritime patrols and sustaining our presence in the WPS to protect our nation's territory and sovereign rights," the Wescom said in a statement.
On November 20, the media reported that the Chinese coast guard had forcibly confiscated wreckage of what was believed to be a Chinese space rocket floating off the island of Thitu from the Philippine side. The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied later that the object was taken by force.
For decades, Beijing has been arguing with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines over the ownership of a number of islands in the South China Sea, on whose shelf significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered.
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