China-Philippines dispute over grounded warship continues
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Manila grounded the former warship Sierra Madre in 1999 to reinforce its sovereignty claims to the Second Thomas Shoal.
PHOTO: AFP
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BEIJING/MANILA – China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday repeated its call for the Philippines to tow away a grounded warship – a rusted-out World War II relic used as a base – from a disputed shoal, after Manila told Beijing it would not abandon the area.
The tensions centre around the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal. It is home to a handful of troops living aboard the former warship Sierra Madre.
Manila grounded the vessel in the area in 1999 to reinforce its sovereignty claims.
The Philippines has repeatedly accused the China Coast Guard of impeding its ability to supply its troops at the shoal by blocking resupply missions.
The most recent episode is said to have occurred last Saturday, when the Chinese coast guard sprayed a Philippine vessel with a water cannon
The Philippine military described the actions of the Chinese coast guard as “excessive and offensive”.
China said the incident was a “warning” and that it has exercised “rational restraint” at all times.
The Chinese coast guard released a video on Tuesday showing its ship directing the spray from a water cannon towards the smaller Philippine vessel without hitting it.
No one was hurt during the incident, but Philippine officials said on Monday that one of Manila’s two boats did not complete its resupply mission.
“We will do whatever is necessary to supply BRP Sierra Madre with the required food, supplies and other much-needed provisions,” said Mr Jonathan Malaya, assistant director-general of the National Security Council.
Mr Malaya also reiterated that the “Philippines will never abandon our post in Ayungin Shoal”.
He urged China “not to escalate matters by water cannon or military-grade lasers, which place Philippine lives at risk”.
The incident is the latest in a long list of complaints Manila has made against China.
They include a protest against the Chinese coast guard’s use of a laser against a ship supporting a resupply mission in February.
Japan and France, through their embassies in Manila, have expressed concern over such actions and repeated their support for the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive South China Sea claims.
China’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr Huang Xilian, said during a meeting on Monday with a Philippine foreign affairs undersecretary that China had no choice but to respond, the Chinese embassy in Manila said on Tuesday.
“China has been waiting for feedback from the Philippine side and hopes that both sides will start talks as soon as possible so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the relevant waters,” Ambassador Huang said.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was unable to reach its counterpart for several hours during the water cannon incident.
Tensions have soared between the two countries over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back to the United States, which supports Manila in its maritime disputes with Beijing.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Mr Rufus Rodriguez, a Philippine lawmaker, has called on Mr Marcos to take “more drastic actions” against China’s “harassment and bullying tactics”, including downgrading Manila’s embassy in Beijing. REUTERS
