U.S. Navy Chief Admiral John Richardson on Thursday said the United States has noted Chinese activities near the disputed Scarborough Shoal - a reef that China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago.    

"I think we see some surface ship activity and those sorts of things, survey type of activity, going on. That's an area of concern ... a next possible area of reclamation," Richardson said.

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The U.S. Navy Chief said he is not sure whether a pending case filed by the Philippines in the International Court of Arbitration in the Hague against China triggered off the latest activities by Beijing.

Richardson told Reuters that America is yet to finalize concrete action against China's latest move.

However, Richardson confirmed that the United States plans to continue with its freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in order to keep up the pressure on China.                 

China's Foreign Ministry spoke person Lu kang described America's latest accusation as "hypocritical," adding that the United States must not accuse Beijing of militarizing the South China Sea when it blatantly carries out its own naval patrols in the region.

 "This is really laughable and preposterous," Lu kang said.                    

Meanwhile, the Philippines Foreign Ministry claims that it is yet to receive any report of Chinese activities in Scarborough Shoal.

The energy rich South China Sea is one of the most highly disputed territories in the world. China and several neighboring countries including Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam are involved in a contest for the area.

The South China Sea has proven oil reserves of 7.7 billion barrels and is home to vast amount of marine biodiversity. 

TagsSouth China Sea, china, Philippines