China hit the Philippinesaccusing him of “deliberately misleading” the international community about their latest dispute in South China Sea in which Philippine forces alleged that Chinese ships attempted to block the evacuation of a sick soldier.
In a statement released on Tuesday, China Coast Guard said it allowed the Philippines to evacuate a sick person from an “illegally stranded warship” under “humanitarian considerations” and “monitored and verified” its actions in accordance with the law.
According to the Philippine Navy, the Navy patient was removed from the BRP Serra Madre – a rusty ship that ran aground in According to Thomas Shoal 25 years ago – to Camp Ricarte Station Hospital in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
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He said the Philippine coast guard “faced numerous obstruction and delay maneuvers” by its Chinese counterpart but “remained steadfast.”
Chinese coast guard spokesman Gan Yu said in the statement: “The relevant Philippine parties ignored the facts, maliciously exaggerated [accusations]and deliberately misled international cognition.”
“The Chinese coast guard will continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities in China’s jurisdictional waters in accordance with the law, and resolutely safeguard the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Gan said.
He said China has “indisputable sovereignty” over the Nansha Islands, also known as the Spratly Islands, including the Renai Reef and its surrounding waters.
Renai Reef – which is also known as Second Thomas Shoal or in the Philippines as Ayungin Shoal – is within the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone, but is also claimed by China.
The hotspot has seen repeated clashes between China and the Philippines for more than a year. The most recent and serious confrontation It was on June 17 when, according to Beijing, Philippine ships attacked Chinese boats. Manila said a Chinese coast guard vessel rammed a Philippine resupply vessel.
A month ago, the Philippine coast guard accused its Chinese counterpart of blocking a medical evacuation of the warship, calling the actions “barbaric and inhumane.”
The latest dispute came just a day after China’s Ministry of Natural Resources released a report saying that Sierra Madre has “seriously harmed the diversity, stability and sustainability of coral reef ecosystems.”
“The Philippines should remove the warship and eliminate the source of the pollution to prevent persistent and cumulative damage to the Renai Reef coral reef ecosystem,” the ministry said.
It said its latest conclusion was drawn from assessments based on satellite detection technology and on-site studies carried out from April to June this year.
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