Vessel expelled from South China Sea waters

On Sunday evening, the China Coast Guard announced that it had expelled a Philippine coast guard vessel that had repeatedly intruded into waters near Huangyan Island in South China Sea, emphasizing that the Chinese side's responses were "professional and standardized".

In a statement, Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, said that from Feb 2 to 9, a Philippine Coast Guard vessel had illegally entered the waters near China's Huangyan Island "multiple times".

The China Coast Guard took measures to control the course of the Philippine vessel and forcefully expelled it after verbal warnings proved ineffective, handling the situation professionally and in accordance with norms, he said.

He said that China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters.

"The China Coast Guard consistently carries out the right protection and law enforcement activities within Chinese jurisdictional waters to safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," he added.