Manila: Nineteen Chinese warships were spotted in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in November, the Philippine Navy (PN) said Tuesday. “These were frigates and destroyers, of various types,” PN spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.

According to Philippines News Agency, the warships, belonging to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), were spotted in the WPS area covering Kalayaan Island and Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal). In October, 21 PLAN warships were spotted in the WPS, Trinidad said, attributing the decrease to the series of tropical cyclones that hit the Philippines last month.

Trinidad also said the PN remains unfazed by the “illegal” presence of the PLAN vessels in WPS. “They have been there for quite some time,” he said. “Their illegal presence, their coercive and aggressive actions, the deceptive messaging have been there for quite some time.”

Although there were no reports of aggressive actions committed by Chinese warships against Philippine vessels in November, Trinidad said the PN will continue monitoring the area. China is claiming virtually the entire South China Sea, including maritime territories and features within the WPS that are within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. A 2016 arbitral ruling has invalidated China’s expansive claims but Beijing refused to honor it.