WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, in a phone call on Thursday, expressed their shared concerns about Chinese militia vessels in South China Sea, the US State Department said in a statement.

Blinken also reaffirmed that a US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty applied to the South China Sea, the statement said.

Substantive conversation today with my Philippine counterpart, @teddyboylocsin, discussing our concerns with People’s Republic of China militia vessels in the South China Sea and our efforts to combat anti-Asian hate and violence. #FriendsPartnersAllies

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 9, 2021

The Philippines has described the presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea as "swarming and threatening."

• Philippines turns up heat on China over boats massing in South China Sea

Chinese diplomats have said the boats were sheltering from rough seas and no militia were aboard.

• LOOK: Chinese vessels hound Philippine fishing boat

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Vietnam have competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, through which at least $3.4 trillion of annual trade passes.

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