“China coast guard implemented the necessary controls in accordance with the law and prevented the Philippine vessels carrying the illegal construction materials.

We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringing activities in that maritime area,” Gan Yu said according to the statement.

Gan Yu reasserted Chinese territorial claim on the islands and the South China Sea, vowing to continue its law-enforcement activity within the region.

That includes the Spratlys, an archipelago consisting of 100 small islands and reefs also claimed in full or part by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

In 1999 it intentionally grounded a navy transport ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, on Second Thomas Shoal, manned by Filipino marines, to enforce the country’s claim to the area.

A month later, Chinese leader Xi Jinping met his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the two men agreed to strengthen economic ties and resume talks on oil exploration amid friction over contested areas of the waterway.

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