The Philippine Navy warned off a Chinese vessel for allegedly shadowing them in disputed waters in the South China Sea on Friday.

The Philippine Navy's (PN) BRP Benguet (LS507) was on a routine resupply mission to the Rizal Reef Station when it encountered China's People's Liberation Army Navy Ship 621 (PLAN 621) blocking its course line some 5.8 nautical miles off Pag-asa Island on October 13.

The PN crew sent radio challenges demanding the Chinese ship move away, saying it violated maritime collision regulations and that the incident was being recorded.

In a statement, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said: 'The Philippine Naval ship received a counter-response from PLAN 621 using their so-called and patently baseless ten-dash line narrative.'

PLAN 621 was seen steering away from the ship shortly after the radio dispatch.

Western Command Chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said: 'These maneuvers pose significant risks to maritime safety, collision prevention, and danger to human lives at sea. China must immediately halt these unsafe actions and conduct themselves in a professional manner by adhering to international law.'

General Romeo Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff of the AFP, also urged China to uphold maritime safety standards, adding the AFP 'remains committed to ensuring the safety of its personnel during rotation and reprovisioning missions and asserts that it will continue to adhere to the rules-based international order.'

China 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.