China hits U.S. over WPS clash

The Chinese Embassy in Manila lashed out at the United States on Sunday after Washington defended the Philippines following a recent confrontation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The embassy issued the statement shortly after the US Embassy in Manila called out Beijing for its “irresponsible maneuvers” that threatened to collide with the Philippine vessel M/V Lapu-Lapu while blocking a military rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal on 24 September.

US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton denounced China’s actions and urged the China Coast Guard (CCG) and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to stop “escalatory tactics that threaten the freedom of navigation and a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

A PLAN warship, nine CCG vessels and five Chinese maritime militia vessels reportedly swarmed the M/V Lapu-Lapu despite the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard escorting the vessel.

China accused the United States of blatantly disregarding the Philippines’ “provocative and unlawful actions” at Second Thomas Shoal, which the Philippines calls Ayungin Shoal and China calls Ren’ai Reef.

The Chinese Embassy urged Washington “to stop fanning the flames” and maintained that the Philippines had “breached its commitments” and “disregard[ed] China’s warnings,” resulting in the confrontation.

Radio warning

The Philippines and China entered into a provisional agreement in July 2024 aimed at de-escalating tensions following a series of confrontations during RORE missions to the BRP Sierra Madre.

One such confrontation resulted in a Philippine Navy sailor losing his right thumb after the CCG rammed its boats into a Philippine Navy vessel.

The BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded and deteriorating warship that has served as the Philippine military outpost at Ayungin Shoal since 1999, has been declared “illegal” by China.

The Chinese Embassy accused the Philippines of violating the agreement by sending a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre last week. It said Chinese forces acted only after Manila allegedly disregarded a radio warning.

“The Philippines’ provocative actions and its subsequent hype and publicity during a traditional Chinese festival seriously violated the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea region,” the embassy said Sunday.

A separate confrontation between the CCG and Philippine Coast Guard in July left a Filipino soldier seriously injured after allegedly being struck in the head with a wooden baton by Chinese personnel.

China has claimed that the provisional agreement bars Manila from repairing or rebuilding the grounded warship and that the activities leading to the latest confrontation breached the deal.

Carpio’s lament

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in July that the Philippines does not need China’s permission to sail to Ayungin Shoal and resupply Filipino troops there, arguing that the 2024 agreement should not be mistaken for approval.

The DFA said the agreement does not diminish the Philippines’ sovereign position in the disputed waters and that RORE missions will continue “for as long as necessary in line with the national interest.”

Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio criticized the DFA for entering into what he described as a conditional agreement with China despite Ayungin Shoal being within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, as upheld by the 2016 arbitral ruling.

Carpio said the agreement implicitly gives China leverage by requiring the Philippines to notify Beijing or allow inspections before resupply missions.

He said the arrangement amounted to surrendering parts of the West Philippine Sea and undermined the 2016 arbitral award that rejected China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea.

Carpio also questioned the secrecy surrounding the agreement, noting that the government has refused to disclose its full text to the public.

Neither the Chinese Embassy nor the DFA confirmed whether the provisional agreement has officially ended.

The Philippines and the United States share a decades-old alliance anchored on the Mutual Defense Treaty.