Australian newspaper concerned about Chinese boats near disputed reef
(VOVWORLD) - Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald ran in an article published Tuesday on the presence of more than 200 suspected Chinese vessels in Spratly archipelagoes.
 Chinese ships seen in Ba Dau reef, Sinh Ton (Sin Cowe) cluster in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago of Vietnam.(Photo: The Philippines defense forces) |
The article quoted a statement by the US Embassy in the Philippines that Chinese boats have been mooring in the area for many months in ever increasing numbers, regardless of the weather.
Filipino political analyst and author Richard Heydarian said the assembly of boats is further evidence of China accelerating its aggressive ambitions.
The article cited Greg Poling, executive director of the US-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which tracks maritime activity in the South China Sea, called the East Sea in Vietnam, that Chinese boats have been sighted at the reef regularly in the past year but the large number spotted there on March 7 and made public by authorities on Sunday was significant.