The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, its coast guard said on Monday after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there.

Defence analysts fear that the BRP Teresa Magbanua's withdrawal could embolden China, which already has a significant presence in the area The Philippines' recent withdrawal of a coastguard vessel from a disputed South China Sea shoal opens the door for China to further assert its dominance and potentially accelerate its controversial reclamation operations,

The Philippines and China have effectively ended a recent standoff over the Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, marking at least a tempor