March 6, 2024
BEIJING – The China Coast Guard on Tuesday accused Philippine vessels of intruding into the waters near Ren’ai Reef in the South China Sea and “intentionally colliding” with a Chinese ship and operating in an “unprofessional and dangerous manner”.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon following a brief one released earlier on the same day, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said that on Tuesday, the Philippines, contrary to its own commitments, deliberately dispatched two coast guard ships and two supply vessels into the waters near Ren’ai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands to resupply their military ship that has been illegally grounded on the reef for 24 years.
“The China Coast Guard strictly controlled the situation in accordance with the law and made a temporary special arrangement out of humanitarian concern for one of the Philippine vessels transporting essential life supplies,” he said, emphasizing that the on-site handling was “reasonable, lawful, professional and standardized”.
However, Gan criticized that during the incident, one of the Philippine coast guard ships, ignoring repeated warnings from the Chinese side and violating the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, intentionally collided with a Chinese Coast Guard ship conducting normal law enforcement, causing minor scraping.
“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side,” he said. “The Philippines has broken its promise, deliberately staged a provocation, maliciously sensationalized the incident, and continued to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
The spokesperson warned, “The China Coast Guard is always on high alert and ready to resolutely counter any infringement and provocation at any time, firmly safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”