More than two hundred ships of the Chinese Communist Party appeared in the South China Sea Ngau Yoke Reef The U.S. Department of State expressed its position

State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted on March 23 that the U.S. supports its ally, the Philippines, and is concerned about the Chinese militia boats gathered near Niu Yoke Reef. Price is pictured

More than 200 Chinese ships carrying sailors have suddenly swarmed around Whitsun Reef, the disputed waters in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, and have been stationed there ever since. This week, the Philippines and the U.S. joined in condemnation of the CCP, with the U.S. criticizing Beijing for using “maritime militias to intimidate, provoke and threaten other countries.

On March 23, the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement that “regardless of the weather, these [Chinese] vessels have been anchored in the area for many months and their numbers continue to grow.” Because the Chinese Communist Party had earlier stated that the ships were parked in the area to “take shelter from the storm,” they continued to increase instead of withdrawing when the weather improved.

The U.S. embassy statement added: “We stand with the Philippines, Asia’s oldest treaty-making ally.”

State Department spokesman Ned Price also tweeted on March 23, “We support our ally, the Philippines, and are concerned about the Chinese militia boats that have gathered near Bull Yoke Reef. We call on Beijing to stop using its maritime militias to intimidate and provoke others, which undermines (regional) peace and security.”

The Philippine Department of Defense said the Chinese approach is “a clear provocative action to militarize the region. On Tuesday (March 23) the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a protest, calling the Chinese vessels “a blatant violation of Philippine sovereignty” and demanding that they immediately leave the “Philippine exclusive economic zone.

The Chinese government argued that the U.S. was “fanning the flames and stirring up confrontation in the region. But former Philippine Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday (March 24) analyzed the 220 Chinese vessels assembled on Niu Yoke Reef in the South China Sea as a possible prelude to the Communist Party’s attempt to take over the island, threatening a repeat of the 1995 occupation of Mischief Reef by the Chinese.

On Monday (March 22), the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said that “Niuyu Reef is part of China’s (CCP) Spratly Islands, and it is normal for some Chinese fishing boats to take shelter near Niuyu Reef recently due to sea conditions.” The Chinese Communist Party also argued that it was not a “maritime militia boat” but a fishing boat, and that “any unfounded speculation is unhelpful, and I hope the parties concerned will look at it rationally.”

As tensions between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party continue in the Indo-Pacific region, Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte hopes to build “friendly relations” with Beijing, but also maintains alliances with Washington.

Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Tuesday that Duterte would discuss the incident with the Chinese Communist Party envoy in Manila, while the Philippine military said Monday that more than 180 Chinese Communist Party ships remain anchored near Bull Yaw Reef.