MANILA, Philippines: Chinese vessels moved to block access to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea early Saturday morning, as Philippine ships conducted another Rotation and Resupply (RoRe) mission to Filipino troops stationed on board BRP Sierra Madre.

Raymond Powell, founder and director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea, said China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with bow number 5203 and two Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships moved to block access to Ayungin as Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Cabra and Sindangan passed south of the shoal and nearby Mischief (Panganiban)Reef.

This latest blockade by China in Ayungin Shoal comes two days after the CCG claimed it has "expelled" a Philippine vessel that had "illegally intruded" into the waters adjacent to Bajo de Masinloc, which the Chinese call Huangyan Dao or Huangyan Island, in the South China Sea.

According to the CCG, after repeated warnings, it "implemented measures to control the (Philippine) vessel's navigation and compel it to leave the area in accordance with law."

It further claimed that "the situation was handled in a professional and standardized manner on-site."

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