China says it warns another Philippine supply operation near Second Thomas Shoal; Manila claims successful operation

China said it has yet again warned a supply operation by Philippine vessels in the South China Sea on Wednesday, in a further heated confrontation between the two nations near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

Two Philippine supply boats and two coastguard vessels were spotted in an “unapproved entering” into the area near Renai Shoal in the Nansha Islands on Wednesday, according to marine police spokesman Gan Yu who used the Chinese names for Second Thomas Shoal and the Spratly Islands.

He said the Chinese coastguard had “warned, followed and effectively regulated” the vessels, and would continue to carry out activities in the waters because China had “indisputable sovereignty” in the area.

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Manila said its two supply boats had successfully delivered provisions to Philippine forces at the shoal, according to a National Security Council statement issued on Wednesday.

It said “a significant number of China’s coastguard and maritime militia vessels” had attempted to “block, harass and interfere” with the Philippines’ routine rotation and resupply mission.

It is not clear whether the Chinese side attempted to block the two Philippine coastguard vessels, which were safeguarding the two supply boats.

A World War II-era ship, BRP Sierra Madre, in Second Thomas Shoal has served as an outpost by the Philippines in the disputed water since 1999, standing guard to counter other stakeholders in the area.

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Manila regards its resupply mission and maintenance of the Sierra Madre as a part of “regular operations in line with domestic and international law and ensures safety and well-being of our stationed personnel”, according to its National Security Council, but Beijing has constantly tried to block the missions.

Beijing and Manila’s tensions in the South China Sea have intensified recently. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has ramped up a hawkish stance towards China about the resource-rich area after he took power last year and stepped closer to Washington.

In early August, Manila said China blocked and fired water cannons on ships carrying out the same supply operation in Second Thomas Shoal. Beijing described its response as “professional, restrained and unimpeachable”.

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The two countries were also involved in a tit-for-tat exchange on the diplomatic front to argue over which party removed a floating barrier installed by China in Scarborough Shoal intended to block Philippine vessels.

Manila took Beijing to an international tribunal over its territorial claims in the South China Sea in 2013. The tribunal ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s claims over most of the waterway were invalid, but Beijing has rejected the ruling.

Manila also said it was considering pursuing a case against Beijing before an international tribunal for the alleged large-scale destruction of coral reefs in the disputed South China Sea.

South China Morning Post