China ramps up South China Sea dispute as Xi ally claims Beijing first to discover waters

China has continued to deploy its Coast Guard to the disputed area (Image: Getty)

China has reignited the ongoing dispute over the hotly-contested South China Sea as a top ally of Xi Jinping insisted Beijing was the first to discover and explore its resources.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbing, China was also the first to ""name, explore, and exploit Nanhai Zhudao (South China Sea islands) and relevant waters."

The South China Sea has long been a point of contention between China and its neighbours – including The Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Despite the opposition of other regional players, Beijing has continued to heavily fish in the area and explore for oil resources.

Its operations have also resulted in open clashes because of the presence of Chinese Coast Guard vessels.

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China is among multiple Indo-Pacific nations staking a claim over the South China Sea (Image: DAILY EXPRESS)

Addressing the press on Thursday, Wang said: "Wang Wenbin: China was the first country to discover, name, explore and exploit Nanhai Zhudao and relevant waters, and was the first to exercise sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Nanhai Zhudao and relevant waters continuously, peacefully and effectively.

"After World War II, the Chinese government recovered and resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao, which had been illegally occupied by Japan during its war of aggression against China pursuant to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation.

"China has territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, including that China has sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao."

He added: "To address the South China Sea issue, we are firm in upholding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and stand ready to address the maritime differences through negotiation and consultation with countries directly concerned on the basis of respecting historical facts.

"Pending a solution to the differences, China also stands ready to work with countries directly concerned to manage the situation at sea, achieve win-win results by carrying out maritime cooperation, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea."

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Earlier this week, China was caught in yet another attempt to intimidate The Philippines after at least five Chinese coast guard ships aggressively approached and sideswiped a Philippine patrol vessel.

Two Chinese coast guard ships used water cannons against a smaller supply boat carrying a Filipino admiral and his sailors.

The high-pressure spray shattered the boat’s windshield and mildly injured the admiral and four sailors with glass shards and splinters of debris.

"That's very concerning and very worrisome,” Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos later told reporters, after witnessing firsthand the Chinese actions against the supply boat Unaizah Mae 4, which he was aboard.

The Philippines adopted a strategy last year of exposing China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed sea by embedding journalists on its coast guard patrol ships.

Manila said the “transparency campaign” aims to pressure China to abide by international law, including anti-collision regulations.

It has publicly released coast guard videos and photos of dangerous Chinese actions against Philippine forces, including the use by China's coast guard of a military-grade laser that temporarily blinded Filipino crew in an incident last year that angered Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The campaign has sparked a war of words with Beijing, which has accused the Philippines of hyping up the disputes and allowing itself to be used as a pawn in US efforts to contain China's rise.