MANILA, Philippines -- Close to 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Chinese consulate in Manila on Wednesday (July 24th) to protest what they described as China's "gunboat diplomacy" and "bullying" tactics, regarding claims to the South China Sea, AFP reported.

Riot police cordoned off the entrance to an office building housing the consulate during the two-hour peaceful protest over areas including Scarborough Reef, a Philippine-claimed outcrop seized by China after a two-month naval stand-off last year.

China claims nearly all of the strategically vital South China Sea, even waters close to the shores of its neighbours. Manila has also protested the presence of Chinese navy vessels near the Philippines-held Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

"Our simple message for China today is to stop your intrusions, and stop your bullying of other claimant countries," Risa Hontiveros, a former member of parliament and one of the protest leaders, told AFP.