About 200 Chinese fishing boats are moored in the Philippines-claimed 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef in the South China Sea. The Philippines has formally protested their presence. Dr Collin Koh, a Research Fellow at the RSIS in Singapore, said the vessels represented a challenge to Manila that should be taken up . Such hype is dangerous because it enhances the possibility of a clash between Chinese and Philippine naval or coast guard vessels that could drag the US into the fray through the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.