Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings, infringing China's territorial sovereignty

Philippine vessels ignored repeated warnings, infringing China's territorial sovereignty, China Coast Guard said in a statement on Sunday, following China lawfully stopped the Philippine vessels attempting to illegally send construction materials to the military vessel that is illegally "grounded" at Ren'ai Reef in the South China Sea.

Two transport vessels and two coast guard vessels from the Philippines trespassed into the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef in the South China Sea on Sunday, prompting the Chinese Coast Guard to intercept the unauthorized entry, the statement said. Despite repeated warnings from Chinese authorities, the Philippine vessel, Unaiza May 2, disregarded the instructions and deliberately crossed the bow with Chinese Coast Guard Ship 5203 at 6:14 am in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, resulting in a minor collision.

About two hours later at 8:13 am, the Philippine Coast Guard vessel 4409 "deliberately stirred up trouble" by deliberately reversing and colliding with a Chinese fishing vessel, which was floating there without starting the engine, the statement said.

The actions taken by the Philippine vessel flagrantly violated international maritime collision regulations, posing a threat to the safety of Chinese naval vessels, the China Coast Guard said, adding that the Chinese Coast Guard operated with professionalism, adhering to standard procedures and in full compliance with the law.

The responsibility for these incidents lies entirely with the Philippine side, the statement said.

The actions of the Philippine side have violated China's territorial sovereignty, contravening the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and going against its own commitments, the statement said.

"We urge the Philippine side to immediately cease its infringement. The Chinese Coast Guard will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in China's jurisdictional waters in accordance with the law, firmly safeguarding national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," it said.

Junzhengping, an account under the PLA News Media Center, commented on the issue that the China Coast Guard had repeatedly made statements on the illegal intrusion of the Philippines into Ren'ai Reef, while also releasing related videos showing the Philippine vessel dangerously approaching Chinese ships, resulting in collisions.

From the videos, it is clear to see that the Chinese Coast Guard vessels were much larger than the Philippine vessel, but the Chinese vessels' operations were professional and standard, the comment said.

Despite repeated dissuasion and warnings, the Philippines disregarded them and intentionally created incidents, attempting to mislead international opinion and provide "evidence" for certain forces to intervene in the South China Sea, in an attempt to "solidify" their illegal occupation of Chinese islands and reefs, it commented.

Provocative actions based on external forces and temporary capabilities will only lead to failure, the comment said.

Regarding the future of the South China Sea issue, the Philippines only has one choice, which is to stop provoking and causing trouble at sea, cease baseless attacks and smears, and avoid affecting and undermining the peace and stability of the South China Sea, which would harm the common interests of countries in the region.