China envoy claims Philippines carried building materials

Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian on Tuesday claimed that there had been no problem with the delivery of "humanitarian supplies" until the Philippine side carried "large-scale" building materials.

Huang made the remarks when he was asked to comment on the Philippine vessels successfully completing their mission to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre, a Navy ship which has been aground in the Ayungin Shoal as an outpost.

"There has never been a problem with the delivery of humanitarian supplies because there is a special arrangement for it, and the problem arose when the Philippines transported large-scale building materials," Huang said at the 9th Manila Forum in Quezon City Tuesday.

"That's all I can share with you for now," he added.

GMA News Online is trying to get comment from the Philippine authorities as regards Huang's claims.

The Philippines' follow-up mission to bring supplies to personnel manning a grounded vessel in Ayungin Shoal on Tuesday has been successful, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) has said.

"The routine follow-up Rotation and Resupply (RoRe) mission to the BRP Sierra Madre (LS 57) was successfully conducted today, August 22, through the combined efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard," the NTF WPS said in a statement.

"This latest RoRe mission was able to deliver fresh provisions to our military personnel stationed on board BRP Sierra Madre," it added.

The resupply was necessary after the Chinese coast guard on August 5 used water cannons on the Philippine resupply mission to the Ayungin Shoal. 

The NTF-WPS said the Chinese coast guard tried to block the resupply mission, but it was successfully completed with no further incident.

'Provoking trouble'

Huang accused the United States and other countries of instigating conflicts in the South China Sea following the Ayungin Shoal incident.

"The United States and some other forces wish nothing but chaos in the South China Sea and continually provoke trouble in this area," Huang said.

Over the weekend, a historic trilateral summit took place at Camp David in the United States, where President Joe Biden, President Yoon of South Korea, and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan agreed to enhance defense cooperation among the countries.

These three countries, along with the Philippines, have expressed their concerns over the water bombardment carried out by the China Coast Guard on Philippine resupply vessels.

Huang said China was hoping that regional countries, including the Philippines, would remain vigilant against what he claimed were "malicious" intentions jeopardizing peace and stability in the South China Sea.

"China hopes that regional countries will maintain the necessary vigilance against these evil cause and how they affect peace and stability in the South China Sea," Huang said.

There has been no response from the US, Japan, and South Korean embassies in the Philippines regarding Huang's remarks.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Krintenbrink, said that the agreements made during the trilateral summit were not aimed at attacking China but rather at safeguarding the region and their own countries from escalating conflicts.

"I don't believe that these countries – the United States, Japan, and South Korea – view their actions as directed at China. I think they believe they are taking steps to protect themselves, ensure the progress they've made is maintained, and work more closely together in an increasingly uncertain world," the US official said.

As for the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued a statement regarding Huang's remarks.

Resupply mission

In a statement, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it "successfully conducted" a resupply mission in Ayungin.

AFP spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar said the resupply boats and the Philippine Coast Guard escorting them are on their way back to their station in Palawan.

"Aside from ensuring the well-being of our personnel manning BRP Sierra Madre, this feat also demonstrated  to the whole world the Filipinos' firm resolve to assert our sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the shoal which is within the country's maritime zones," Aguilar said.

China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun in a separate statement said it issued a "stern warning" to the Philippine boats, "followed them all the way and effectively regulated them."

"At the same time, in view of the fact that the Philippines did not carry illegal building materials for large-scale reinforcement, from the perspective of humanitarianism, it was necessary for the Philippines to deliver food to warships 'grounded'.  Temporary special arrangements have been made for living materials," the Coast Guard official said.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including the Ren'ai Jiao, and its adjacent waters, and firmly opposes the Philippine side taking the opportunity to ship illegal building materials to warships 'grounded' illegally. The China Coast Guard will continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities in waters under China's jurisdiction according to law," he added.

Special envoy

Meanwhile, China has expressed appreciation for the appointment of former Foreign Affairs Secretary and Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Teodoro Locsin, as a special envoy to China.

"We welcome the appointment of former Secretary Teddy Locsin as the President's special envoy to China and look forward to continuously playing a positive role in managing our differences," Huang said. —LDF/NB/KG, GMA Integrated News