A China Coast Guard vessel reportedly trespassed into waters near a Philippine island over the weekend.

The massive Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901 sailed some 54 miles off Capones Island in Zambales province on January 4 afternoon.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG dispatched the BRP Cabra MRRV 4409 and a PCG helicopter and caravan 'to verify the incursion'.

He said in a statement on Saturday: 'By around 1700H this afternoon, MRRV 4409 and the PCG Caravan confirmed that the Chinese vessel was indeed in the area identified by the Dark Vessel Detection.

'A PCG vessel and aircraft continuously challenged the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard, emphasizing that it was operating within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.'

Footage shows BRP Cabra crew issuing a radio challenge to the much larger Chinese vessel, which weighs a staggering 12,000 tons and is 541 feet long.

American security analyst Ray Powell said the CCG 5901 was seen today still lumbering around 70 nautical miles from the Luzon coast.

Authorities believe its presence was meant to intimidate Filipino fishermen from entering the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed fishing ground and resource-rich area in the South China Sea.

Expansionist 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.

The Communist rogue state - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.