The two Chinese vessels that carried out “unauthorized” research activities in the Recto Bank near the island of Palawan early this month are back in China, Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said on Sunday. The research ships Xiang Yang Hong and Haiyan Dizhi are already in Haikou and Xiangzhou Districts, both in China, after carrying out research at the oil-rich Reed Bank, which is located within the Philippines’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone. The research reportedly took place during the first week of August, and the Navy has encouraged the government to file a diplomatic protest against Beijing.

Acosta, R. (2020, August 17). Chinese vessels back in Mainland after research in Reed Bank-Navy. Business Mirror, p. A3.