Manila, July 29 -- Almost two dozen Chinese naval and coast guard ships were spotted and monitored in four key features of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) from July 21 to 27, a ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official said Tuesday.

In a media briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, PN spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said these Chinese vessels included seven China Coast Guard (CCG) and seven People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships spotted in Bajo de Masinloc, four CCG and two PLAN ships sighted in Ayungin Shoal, one PLAN ship monitored in Sabina Shoal, and one CCG vessel and one PLAN warship spotted in Pag-asa Island, for a total of 23.

Trinidad said based on their monitoring from July 19 to 21, "the ships of the CCG and the...