Philippines deploys more navy ships to disputed sea amid row with China as Covid-19 daily total hit record level - 8,773 cases

his handout satellite imagery taken on March 23, 2021 and received on March 25 from Maxar Technologies shows Chinese vessels anchored at the Whitsun Reef, around 320 kilometres (175 nautical miles) west of Bataraza in Palawan in the South China Sea. - Chinese vessels gathered near a disputed reef in the South China Sea are "fishing boats" sheltering from poor weather, the foreign ministry said March 22, a day after the Philippines described their presence as an incursion. - AFP

MANILA, March 25 (AFP): The Philippine military ordered the deployment of more navy ships to the South China Sea Thursday amid a growing diplomatic row over a fleet of Chinese boats parked near a disputed reef.

China claims almost the entirety of the resource-rich sea, and was accused by the United States this week of efforts to "intimidate and provoke others" by parking its vessels near Whitsun Reef.