The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday rejected the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) claim that it permitted the medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) near BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal for the treatment of two Filipino soldiers who were injured following a clash with CCG personnel on 20 July.

“The AFP rejects the CCG claim that it permitted the recent medical evacuation near BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal. The mission, conducted on 21 July by the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), was successfully conducted solely under Philippine authority in the exercise of our sovereign rights,” the AFP said in a statement sent to the Daily Tribune.

The CCG earlier claimed that the medical evacuation was conducted with China’s authorization or as an act of humanitarian goodwill.

The AFP emphasized that the Philippines “does not ask for, nor does it require, the permission of any foreign nation” to conduct operations within its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

AFP said that Ayungin Shoal lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile EEZ, as affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“Any claim by the CCG that it ‘permitted’ the operation is a false narrative intended to project illegitimate authority where none exists,” the AFP said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has strongly urged the United States to back off from the West Philippine Sea (WPS) dispute and stop “sowing discord and fanning the flames in the region” by jumping into Manila’s defense. 

Embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng’s remarks on Tuesday came in response to separate statements by the US State Department and US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton criticizing China for engaging anew in a violent confrontation with the Philippines at Ayunging Shoal that left one of Manila’s navy personnel suffering a head injury. 

Efforts to obstruct

It also stressed that the BRP Sierra Madre is a commissioned Philippine Navy ship, and the sustainment and humanitarian care of its personnel are sovereign responsibilities.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the humanitarian goodwill claims by the CCG “are false and seek to distort the facts” since CCG rigid-hull inflatable boats repeatedly executed dangerous blocking maneuvers that hindered the safe transfer of the wounded servicemen during the MEDEVAC operation.

NTF-WPS pointed out that the Philippines does not require China’s permission to conduct lawful activities within its maritime domain consistent with national and international law.