China said on Wednesday that it sent rescue ships to the South China Sea to tow a stranded foreign vessel, in response to Philippine media reports that China prevented Philippine fishermen from operating in the Wufang Reef.
The Ministry of Transport recently sent ships to tug a grounded foreign vessel and the ships have returned, China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily briefing on Wednesday.
During the operations, the Chinese ships advised fishing boats near the waters to stay away for safety and security reasons, said Hong, stressing that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Wufang Jiao and the adjacent waters.
Philippine officials were quoted by Reuters as saying on Wednesday that China had sent seven ships to Wufang Jiao in the South China Sea and prevented Filipino fishermen from accessing the fishing grounds.
An unnamed fisherman said Chinese boats chased them away when they tried to enter the area last week, Reuters reported.
Hong said a foreign vessel was also grounded last year near Wufang Jiao.
"The owner of the vessel tried to tow it away but failed. He then decided to abandon the ship and dismantled and took away its main equipment. If the vessel was left aground for a long time, it might have impeded navigation safety and damaged the marine environment," Hong said.
Recent incidents have heightened tensions in the South China Sea. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Tuesday that China must not pursue militarization in the South China Sea, and he warned China against "aggressive" actions in the region, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Hong said China's deployment of limited and necessary national defense facilities on its own territory is far from new, adding that China's exercise of self-preservation and defense is a right granted by international law to sovereign states.
