(UPDATE) THE Chinese Embassy in Manila on Saturday "demanded" from the Philippine government "not to take any action that may complicate the maritime situation."
The statement comes as a mission to resupply Philippine troops stationed at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was completed on Friday without interference from Chinese ships for the first time, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported.
Responding to the government's claim that no notification was sent to China before the resupply mission, the Chinese Embassy said that the Philippines was under no obligation to inform Beijing as this was within its rights but reiterated that Ren'ai Jiao, as China calls the Ayungin Shoal, "has always been its territory" and that its position on the issue "has never changed."
The Chinese Embassy said, however, that China and the Philippines are maintaining communication to manage and control the situation in the disputed territory.
Ayungin Shoal or Ren'ai Jiao is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, 105 nautical miles (194 km; 121 mi) west of Palawan, Philippines. It is claimed by several nations. The reef is occupied by Philippine Navy personnel aboard the BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), grounded on the reef in 1999 and has been periodically replenished since then.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Friday that they had successfully conducted a "flawless" resupply mission for troops manning the BRP Sierra Madre outpost at Ayungin Shoal in the WPS.
Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, the AFP spokesman, said "teamwork, precision and dedication at its best" contributed to the "flawless" rotation and resupply operation.
Maritime expert Ray Powell also monitored the presence of CCG 5205 and at least 17 militia vessels during the resupply mission but presented satellite images showing that it "seems to have encountered virtually no resistance from China."
Powell, director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, uploaded the images, which also showed that Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan, which appear to have escorted AFP-chartered supply boat/s like in the previous runs, were "met by China Coast Guard 5205" at Sabina Shoal.
Sabina Shoal is approximately 67 kilometers away from Ayungin Shoal.
Meanwhile, China Coast Guard 5205 refers to a ship accused of pointing military-grade lasers toward PCG personnel in February 2023.
Powell said that China Coast Guard 5203 was also in the area but went into "dark mode" by turning off its automatic identification system, as well as at least 17 Chinese maritime militia vessels, most of which were "waiting" at Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, approximately 38 kilometers from Ayungin Shoal.
During the eighth "China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea" in Shanghai, Manila and Beijing agreed to calmly address their overlapping maritime row in the South China Sea by improving their communication mechanisms.
The Philippines and China convened the 8th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea in Shanghai on Jan. 17, 2024, under the agreement reached between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November 2023 to ease and manage tensions in the South China Sea. This was followed by a phone call between Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in December 2023.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong had frank and productive discussions to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea; both sides agreed to deal with incidents, if any, calmly and through diplomacy.
They also agreed that continuous dialogue is important to keep peace and stability at sea. Both sides presented their respective positions on the Ayungin Shoal and assured each other of their mutual commitment to avoiding the escalation of tensions.
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