BEIJING: China’s coast guard on Friday urged the Philippines to cease infringing on the country’s sovereignty citing the entry of several Philippine resupply vessels into waters near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
The Philippine National Security Council stated it would issue a statement soon on the resupply mission.
China’s Coast Guard said two small Philippine transport ships and three coast guard vessels entered the waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, without obtaining permission from the Chinese government.
The shoal is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China rejects that and says it has sovereignty over the Spratlys, referred to as the Nansha Islands, and its surrounding waters.
The two countries have had several confrontations during the past few months in the region, with China condemning Philippine resupply missions to the shoal.
“The China coast guard has followed Philippine vessels in compliance with the law, implemented control measures, and made temporary special arrangements for the Philippine side to transport food and other necessary daily necessities,” the coast guard said in a statement.
In a statement, the coast guard urged the Philippines to promptly halt its violations of China’s territorial sovereignty.
