The Philippines criticized China for deploying its largest coastguard vessel within Manila's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). They said it was alarming, and that the deployment was clearly intended to intimidate fisherman operating near a disputed shoal in South China Sea.

Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said at a Tuesday press conference: "We were shocked by the increased aggression shown by the People's Republic of China with the deployment of the monster ship."

Malaya reported that Manila lodged a complaint over the presence of a 165 m long (541 ft), Chinese coast guard vessel 5901 spotted 77 nautical mile off the coast Zambales Province. Manila demanded the vessel's withdrawal from the EEZ.

Malaya said that the vessel's presence was "illegal" as well as "unacceptable".

The Philippine Coast Guard has said that it deployed two of its biggest vessels to chase away the Chinese vessel.

Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that on Monday its "patrols and law enforcement" activities were "reasonable and legal".

The Philippines, an ally of the United States, and Beijing's tensions have escalated in the last two years because they both claim the South China Sea.

Beijing has rejected the 2016 ruling of an international tribunal that China's claims over large areas of the disputed river were without basis.

China's claims are expansive and overlap with those of Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Vietnam. The waterway in dispute is a strategic shipping lane through which approximately $3 trillion worth of commerce passes each year.

(source: Reuters)