The Philippine military said it has found alleged evidence of coral harvesting by expansionist China in disputed waters in the West Philippine Sea.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command captured underwater footage of the 'lifeless' and 'damaged' Rozul Reef, which is believed to be have been destroyed by Chinese vessels sailing into the area.

The videos - which appear to show crushed corals dumped on the seabed - were taken by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducting surveys of the Escoda Shoal off Palawan Island in the Philippines from August 9 to September 11.

In a statement released along with the videos on September 16, the PCG said: 'The results of these surveys showed that the marine ecosystem in the subject West Philippine Sea (WPS) features appeared lifeless, with minimal to no signs of life.

'Moreover, the surveys conducted in Escoda Shoal revealed visible discoloration of its seabed, strongly indicating that deliberate activities may have been undertaken to modify the natural topography of its underwater terrain.

'The presence of crushed corals strongly suggests a potential act of dumping, possibly involving the same dead corals that were previously processed and cleaned before being returned to the seabed.

'The continued swarming for an indiscriminate illegal and destructive fishing activities of the Chinese Maritime Militia in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal may have directly caused the degradation and destruction of the marine environment in the WPS features.'

Armed forces Wescom chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said the surveys were conducted after Chinese vessels were 'driven away' from the reef in July.

He said: 'After we drove them away, we pinpointed the areas where the Chinese ships stayed and sent out our divers there to do an underwater survey. They saw there were no more corals left. The seabed was damaged and there's nothing left there but just debris.'

However, he clarified that more conclusive evidence was needed to find the parties responsible for the damage.

The military said they were coordinating with marine experts to determine the extent of the damage.

Communist rogue state China has pursued an expansionist policy through economic support and currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.