Filipino fishermen found several buoys with Chinese markings near the disputed Scarborough Shoal and towed the devices back to shore northwest of the capital, Manila, Philippines officials said Sunday.
China seized control of the rocky outcrop in the South China Sea in 2012 after a three-month standoff with Philippine coast guard ships, preventing Filipino fishermen from getting near their traditional fishing grounds.
The shoal is about 125 nautical miles (230 km) west of the Philippines.