According to the South China Morning Post, experts believe the move from China is an attempt to assert its dominance in the region. Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative has released a report which claims 14 vessels have been identified as Chinese ships. They were discovered due to the broadcast of automatic identification system (AIS) signals while out in the Luconia Shoals, Second Thomas Shoal and the Scarborough Shoal over the past year.

The report said: “There don’t appear to be any other contested areas where China Coast Guard presence is so persistent, and where China clearly wants regional counterparts to know they are present.

“Beijing has evidently taken a special interest in Luconia, Second Thomas and Scarborough shoals.

“It seems to be wagering that if it can maintain a semi-permanent CCG presence for long enough, regional states will eventually accede to its de facto control of those areas.

“And if that strategy succeeds at Luconia and Second Thomas (as it arguably already has at Scarborough), it will serve as a compelling blueprint for extending Chinese administration across other reefs and shoals.”

It added: “This makes them ideal for operations that might involve threatening collisions and, if necessary, shouldering other vessels to drive them away without using lethal force.”

Reports suggest that the ships are not armed.

They do have water cannons and small weapons, but they are believed to be bigger than that of its South China Sea rivals.

By ensuring the vessels are deployed, China is able to become a visible presence at sites where it claims to have sovereignty but in reality has no permanent fixtures there.

JUST IN: South China Sea: Beijing warns ’hostile action’ as Europe sends ships

It comes after the UK said it would send new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to the volatile South China Sea region.

This followed France’s announcement it had sent its Frigate, Dixmude, to the Spratly islands, which are a contested group of islands within the Nine Dash Line.

China hit back at the news of the European nations ordering key ships in their fleets to sail to the disputed sea area.

Major General Su Guanghui, China’s defence attaché to Britain last week said: “If the US and UK join hands in a challenge or violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, that would be hostile action.”

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The Nine Dash Line encompasses most of the oil rich South China Sea, which China has belligerently claimed for itself.

This claim has infuriated neighbouring countries like The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.

Frans-Paul van der Putten, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael Institute, an independent think tank in the Netherlands said: “Until a few years ago, European countries preferred to keep a low profile on regional security issues in East Asia, but under the present circumstances there is a new urgency to be involved.

“Sending warships to the South China Sea can provide European governments with more leverage when it comes to dealing with the US and China on geopolitical matters closer to home.”

Paul van der Putten’s assessment comes after Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement late last month that they were “concerned about the situation in the South China Sea, which could lead to insecurity and tension in the region”.

China, which claims most of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory, is engaged in multiple disputes with its neighbours, including Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei.

While the United States is not a claimant, it regards the area as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy to contain China’s military expansion in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

In an apparent show of strength and unity, the US and Britain conducted a joint naval drill in the South China Sea in February, while France sailed its naval assault ship Dixmude and a frigate close to the disputed Spratly Islands last year.

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