China on Monday said it had taken "control measures" against Philippine ships it accused of "illegally gathering" near a disputed reef in the South China Sea. "Recently, several Philippine ships... illegally gathered under the pretense of fishing in the waters near Houteng Reef of China's Nansha Islands,

The Philippines said a Chinese Navy chopper harassed Filipino fishing boats at a disputed South China Sea reef, showing lingering tensions in the key waterway.Most Read from BloombergAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsThe Philippine Coast Guard sent two ships to Iroquois Reef to ensure the fishermen’s safety after receiving footage of the encounter,

China’s coast guard said on Monday that it had taken “necessary control measures” against an “illegal gathering” of Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the Iroquois reef in the South China Sea. A number of Philippine ships have in recent days “illegally” gathered in the waters of the reef in the Spratly Islands under the banner of