China accuses Phl of ‘intruding’ in WPS

FILE PHOTO: This photo taken on 22 September 2023 shows a wooden boat, with Philippine fisherman Arnel Satam on board, drawfed by a Chinese coast guard vessel after he was intercepted for attempting to enter Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. In a high-seas chase lasting several minutes, Satam tries in vain to outrun the faster boats and slip inside the ring of reefs controlled by China, where fish are more abundant. The fishermen complained that China's actions at Scarborough Shoal were robbing them of a key source of income and a place to shelter safely during a storm. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yun has again accused the Philippines of intruding on Beijing's claimed territory in the West Philippine Sea.
"On November 10, two small cargo ships and three coast guard ships from the Philippines trespassed into the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Jiao in China's Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government," Gan said in a statement on Friday.
Gan said the CCG tracked and monitored the Philippines so they conducted "regulatory measures, and made temporary special arrangements for the Philippines to deliver food and other daily necessities."
China has reiterated the alleged Philippines' promise on the removal of the BRP Sierra in Ayungin Shoal.
"China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Ren'ai Jiao and its adjacent waters. The Philippines' act infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty, violates the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and breaks its own promise," Gan said.
The Philippines has repeatedly clarified that there's no such promise made from the Filipino side.
China warned it will continue to enforce maritime actions over Nansha Islands, and its adjacent waters—a vast claim that overlaps the Philippine waters.
"We urge the Philippine side to stop its infringement behavior immediately. The China Coast Guard will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in the waters under China's jurisdiction in accordance with the law, and resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Gan said.
The Philippines, on the contrary, said it will not deterred from exercising its "legal rights" over its maritime zone including the Ayungin Shoal that forms part of Manila's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
The Philippines demanded China "to demonstrate responsible acts" as a "trustworthy member of the international community."
