China has no right to demand Sierra Madre pullout, Teodoro says

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday rejected China’s call for the Philippines to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, saying Beijing has no right to make such a demand.

Teodoro made the statement on the sidelines of the second day of the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.

“As the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has repeatedly said, and their (China) narrative of whatever sha-sha-sha and tau-tau-tau, which the world doesn't recognize, together with their non-dash line, is something that we should not even give importance to, and we should continue to do, whatever UNCLOS and international law gives us within our respective areas of sovereign rights or jurisdiction,” Teodoro said.

“They (China) have no right to say that. So, it is beyond their jurisdiction and beyond any form of intervention under international law,” he added.

China has also accused the Philippines of attempting to carry out large-scale repairs and reinforcement of the BRP Sierra Madre to establish a permanent presence at the shoal.

Teodoro dismissed the assertion.

“Well, I will not regard their statement with any importance, because it was made in an area where they have no rhyme, no reason to make any comment about us,” he said.

The Defense chief also accused Beijing of acting outside the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He said China is “doing things outside UNCLOS, and disregarding UNCLOS.”