China on Friday categorically rejected Philippine Defense Minister's allegations that Chinese vessels recently intruded into its territory of the disputed South China Sea region and also conducted an oceanographic survey in its eastern seaboard.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, termed the Filipino defense chief's allegations to be baseless as he claimed its ships had every right to conduct freedom of navigation in these waters. He also openly confessed that its research ships indeed passed through seas northeast of Luzon Island last year.

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"But this is purely carrying out normal freedom of navigation and right of innocent passage, and there were no so-called other activities or operations," he told regular news briefing, adding that "Comments from individuals in the Philippines on this do not accord with the facts."

Philippine Defence Minister, Delfin Lorenzana, on Thursday, accused that several Chinese ships were spotted well within its maritime territory, with a warship being spotted 70 miles off its western coast in the contagious South China Sea region.  

Lorenzana also alleged that satellite images provided by one of its allies had detected Chinese ships carrying out surveys in the Benham Rise last year. The Benham Rise, also known as Benham Plateau, is a seismically active undersea region that United Nations (UN) declared to be a part of Philippines maritime territory in 2012.   

Lorenzana stands out as sort of a rebel amid President Rodrigo Duterte's unprecedented efforts to improve his country's relation with its longstanding rival China. While Duterte is often heard singing praises about China, his defense chief has rather chose to remain suspicious about its neighbor. This is more than evident by the fact that he allowed the fortification of manmade islands inside the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

China stakes claim over almost entire South China Sea region, where huge reserves of oil and gas reserves are believed to be stored beneath the seabed. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam are other competing rivals that stake claim over the disputed maritime territory.    

TagsChina and Philippines, china, Benham Rise, Delfin Lorenzana, Philippines Defence Chief