China diplomat tells Philippines: 'Stop making provocations at sea'

A Chinese Embassy official on Monday told the Philippines to "stop making provocations at sea," a day after a collision incident occurred off Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

"China once again urges the Philippines to take seriously China’s grave concerns, honor its promise, stop making provocations at sea, stop making dangerous moves, stop groundlessly attacking and slandering China," Chinese Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong said in a statement.

The Department of  Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines after a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel collided with a Philippine resupply boat off Ayungin Shoal.

In response to Manila's summon and protest, Zhiyong said he conveyed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition of the Chinese side to the Philippine side over its vessels’ intrusion over its so-called waters."

Zhou maintained that Ayungin Shoal, which he referred to as  Ren’ai Jiao, "is part of China’s Nansha Qundao and China’s territory."

Zhou also repeated Beijing's call "to tow away the illegally 'grounded' warship as soon as possible so that the peace and stability of the South China Sea will not be jeopardized and the common interests of countries in the region will not be affected."

He was referring to the BRP Sierra Madre which has been grounded since 1999 at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea — the Philippine name for the South China Sea waters within the country’s boundaries.

Philippine officials denied any agreement with China to remove the BRP Sierra Madre, stressing that the vessel is a permanent military outpost tasked "to protect and secure Philippine rights and interests" in the West Philippine Sea.

A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel on Sunday collided with an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-contracted boat going to the Ayungin Shoal for a resupply mission to the troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said.

NTF-WPS said the incident occurred at around 6:04 a.m., when the “dangerous blocking maneuvers” of CCG vessel 5203 caused the collision with the AFP-contracted indigenous resupply boat Unaiza May 2 (UM2) approximately 13.5 nautical miles east northeast of the BRP Sierra Madre.

During the same RORE mission, the NTF-WPS said Philippine Coast Guard vessel MRRV 4409’s port side was also “bumped” by Chinese maritime militia vessel 00003 (CMMV 00003) while it was lying approximately 6.4NM northeast of Ayungin Shoal. —KG, GMA Integrated News