MANILA, May 12 — The Philippines has said it deployed ships to a disputed area in the South China Sea, where it accused China of building "an artificial island" in an escalating maritime row.

BEIJING/MANILA, April 30—The Philippines has accused China's Coast Guard of harassing and damaging one of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, and rejected Beijing's position that it had expelled two vessels from the hotly contested shoal.