China is demanding that the Philippines tow an old warship that ran aground 24 years ago in the waters of one of the disputed islands of Nansha (Spratly), a spokesman for the China Maritime Police Administration said in a WeChat account.
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“The Chinese side calls on the Philippines to tow the warship that has run aground off Ren’ai Reef and restore the reef to its original state,” he said.
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The statement of the official representative of the department repeats the position of the PRC, according to which the Renai Reef (Second Thomas Shallow) is part of the Chinese Nansha (Spratly) archipelago.
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“In 1999, a Philippine warship illegally ran aground near the Ren’ai Reef, and therefore the Chinese side made a strict submission to the Philippines at the time. Since then, the Philippine side has made a clear promise to tow the ship many times, but after 24 years, it not only failed to remove him, but is carrying out extensive repairs to permanently occupy the reef,” he said.
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Manila’s actions violate Beijing’s sovereignty as well as the Philippines’ obligations, the official said.
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It is also noted that for some time, Manila, under the pretext of replacing personnel on the ship and sending life support items there, has been delivering building materials to the ship, because of which China has repeatedly expressed its concern and offered to negotiate, but the island state did not respond to requests.
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According to the spokesman, after learning about the plans of the Philippines to resupply the old ship, Beijing at several levels and through several channels made a representation to Manila and demanded not to enter the waters of the islands without permission, and also not to bring building materials there for large-scale repairs.
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“Despite China’s persuasions and warnings, the Philippines still sent two ships to the waters of the Ren’ai Reef on August 5, violating the Declaration of Actions of the Parties in the South China Sea, and also trying to smuggle construction materials for repairs on the illegally stranded warship,” the report said. in the document.
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It is alleged that the Chinese side took legal measures to block the passage of ships.
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“After several unsuccessful verbal warnings, the Chinese maritime police used water cannons to avoid direct collisions during the blockade,” the department said, stressing that the Chinese side’s actions were professional and restrained.
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The Philippine Coast Guard issued a statement yesterday condemning the use of water cannons by the PRC Coast Guard against the island nation’s ships in the disputed Ayungin shallow waters in the South China Sea.
