Manila: The Philippines announced Sunday that it is deploying aircraft and ships to drive away Chinese research vessels conducting "illegal marine scientific research." The action is a response to the presence of four Chinese research vessels detected by the Philippine Coast Guard operating near Philippine waters. According to Anadolu Agency, Philippine Coast Guard commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan stated, "We will not tolerate any illegal marine scientific research conducted without our government's consent. We are deploying aircraft and vessels to challenge and drive away these unauthorized vessels to protect Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights." Meanwhile, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported that five Philippine crew members had "illegally landed on Tiexian Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao, in disregard of the Chinese side's repeated dissuasion and warnings." The report emphasized that China refers to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea as the Nansha Qundao. China Coast Guard law enforcement officers reportedly "identified the intruders and handled the incident in accordance with the law, effectively safeguarding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," according to the Xinhua report.