China insisted that the BRP Teresa Magbanua, which left the Escoda (Sabina) Shoal and returned to homeport on Saturday, Sept. 14, had been “illegally stranded” on Chinese territory for months.
A flag-raising activity is conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) onboard BRP Teresa Magbanua in the vicinity of Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on June 12, 2024 to commemorate the 126th Philippine Independence Day. (PCG photo)
In a translated statement posted by the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Facebook, Beijing warned the Philippines anew against “inciting speculations” and infringing into its territory.
China Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun said that since April 17, Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) MRRV-9701 had been “illegally stranded on China's Xianbin Reef for nearly five months.”
“During this period, China took control measures against ship 9701 in accordance with law, and the Philippines' repeated attempts to organize forced replenishment failed. At about 14:00 on September 14th, Fei 9701 evacuated China's Xianbin Lagoon,” the statement added.
China stressed that BRP Teresa Magbanua’s presence and “actions” are serious violations of China’s sovereignty and of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
On Sunday, Sept. 15, National Maritime Council (NMC) chair and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that BRP Teresa Magbanua “is now sailing back to her homeport” because her mission was accomplished despite the challenges it faced.
The official added that BRP Teresa Magbanua will resume her mission after she has been resupplied and repaired and her crew recharged.
But China, on Sunday, warned the Philippines to stop infringing into its territory.
“We warn the Philippine side to stop inciting speculation and taking risks of infringement, and to work in the same direction with the Chinese side to safeguard the seriousness and effectiveness of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Senbin Reef, and its surrounding waters,” the statement said.
“The China Coast Guard will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in the waters under Chinese jurisdiction in accordance with law, and firmly safeguard,” it added.
Earlier this month, the BRP Teresa Magbanua was repeatedly rammed by CCG vessels.
Also on Aug. 19, CCG vessels “rammed and damaged” two PCG vessels near the waters of Escoda Shoal, which sits 75 nautical miles or about 140 kilometers off Palawan and is deep within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Along with other resource-rich features of the South China Sea, Beijing stakes claim on the disputed shoal and nearly the entire region based on its archaic nine-dash, now 10-dash, line map.
It has also repeatedly rejected the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling that invalidated the nine-dash line.