Daily Tribune
(FILES) RUSTY and crumbling, the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal nonetheless underpins Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea against China’s worsening bullying in the contested waters.
JAM STA ROSA/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
China has rejected the demand of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for P60 million for the damage its Coast Guard caused to the equipment of Filipino sailors on a resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea.
In a press briefing on Thursday (China time), China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning shifted the blame for the confrontation on the Philippines, calling its regular supply mission to Ayungin Shoal “illegal.”
“The Philippine vessels were carrying out an illegal resupply mission which violated China’s territorial waters and staged a provocation when stopped by the China Coast Guard, who acted lawfully and rightfully to defend China’s sovereignty,” Mao said.
“The Philippine side should face the consequences of its own action,” she added.
On Thursday, AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. said he sent a letter to the Chinese government demanding payment for the damage caused by China Coast Guard to the Philippine assets during its confrontation with the resupply mission last 17 June.
