China slams Philippines over 'illegal occupation' of disputed remote reef

China condemned yesterday what it called the "illegal occupation" of a disputed coral reef by the Philippines, and vowed to protect its sovereignty after Manila moved new soldiers and supplies to the remote location.

The Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as the Renai reef, is at the centre of the latest territorial row between Beijing and Manila. Both countries have been locked in a decades-old territorial spat over the South China Sea.

The Philippines is accusing China of encroachment after three Chinese ships, including a naval frigate, converged just five nautical miles from an old transport ship that Manila ran aground on a reef in 1999 to mark its territory.

"China's determination to safeguard its national sovereignty is resolute and unwavering and we will never accept any form of illegal occupation of the Renai reef by the Philippines," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing.

Philippine armed forces chief General Emmanuel Bautista said on Wednesday that the military had brought in a fresh team to replace soldiers stationed on the wrecked ship on the reef and replenished their supplies, including food, water and fuel.

China's claims over islands, reefs and atolls in resource-rich waters off its south coast and to the east of mainland Southeast Asia have set it directly against Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to parts.