About 220 Chinese maritime militia vessels were spotted within the West Philippine Sea earlier this month, according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), prompting the Philippines to file a diplomatic protest over the presence. Citing a report of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the NTF-WPS on Saturday said the hundreds of Chinese military vessels were spotted on March 7 “in line formation” at the boomerang-shaped Julian Felipe Reef around 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan, which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf (CS). The PCG counted around 220 vessels massed in the area, but they were not conducting fishing activities when sighted and their white lights were on during nighttime.

Lee-Brago, P., Romero, A., Macairan, E., Cabrera, R., & Marcelo, E. (2021, March 22). 220 Chinese vessels swarm Phl reef in WPS. The Philippine Star, p. 2.