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The step comes amid China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea as Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr pursues warmer ties with treaty ally the US.
The Philippine coast guard (PCG) said it set up five buoys carrying the national flag from May 10 to May 12 in five areas within the 322km zone, including the Whitsun Reef, where hundreds of Chinese maritime vessels moored in 2021.
“This move highlights the Philippines’ unwavering resolve to protect its maritime borders and resources and contribute to the safety of maritime trade,” commodore Jay Tarriela, the coast guard spokesman on South China Sea issues, said on Twitter.
China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In May 2022, the coast guard installed five navigational buoys on four islands in the Spratlys.
China’s claim of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea was invalidated by an international arbitration ruling in 2016.
Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the Spratlys, where China has dredged sand to build islands on reefs, and equipped them with missiles and runways.
Beijing has for years deployed hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in disputed areas.
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