The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday defended its deployment of a vessel to Escoda Shoal, insisting it was there to protect the country’s sovereign rights and not to provoke China.

In a statement, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said that it had lodged a formal protest over the presence of the Philippine Coast Guard cutter BRP Teresa Magbanua in the disputed waters.

Escoda Shoal is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the coast guard said, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award.

“Our Philippine Coast Guard vessels have the right to operate within the lagoon of Escoda Shoal for as long as necessary, without requiring permission from any other country,” said Tarriela.

The PCG official previously accused China of violating the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and deploying large Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia to the area.

“The Philippine Coast Guard has deployed there not to provoke or escalate tensions; rather, it aims to protect and safeguard our sovereign rights over these waters, particularly against illegal poachers engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and activities that damage our marine environment,” Tarriela said.

The BRP Teresa Magbanua, the PCG’s largest ship, was deployed to the area in mid-April amid reported Chinese reclamation attempts in the West Philippine Sea.