China Coast Guard warns trespassing Philippine vessels off Ren’ai Jiao, allows humanitarian supply

China Coast Guard (CCG) on Tuesday restricted Philippine vessels trespassing into waters near China’s Ren’ai Jiao (also Ren’ai Reef) in the South China Sea but under humanitarian consideration, temporarily allowed the transport of food to the Philippines’ “grounded” warship.

Two supply ships and two coast guard ships of the Philippines on Tuesday trespassed into waters near Ren’ai Jiao of China’s Nansha Islands, with the CCG sending a stern warning to the Philippine vessels, while carried out tracking and monitoring throughout their entire courses and made effective restrictions according to the law, Liu Dejun, a CCG spokesperson, said in a statement on the day.

Given that the Philippine side did not carry illegal building materials used for large-scale reinforcement, under a humanitarian consideration, a temporary special arrangement is made for the Philippine side to transport necessary living materials including food to its “grounded” warship, Liu said.

China has undisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands including the Ren’ai Jiao as well as adjacent waters, and China firmly opposes Philippine authorities’ transport of illegal building materials to its illegally “grounded” warship under the pretense of “supplies,” he said.

CCG will continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities in waters under Chinese jurisdiction in accordance with the law, the spokesperson said.

On August 5, CCG drove away two supply ships and two coast guard vessels of the Philippines intruded into waters near the Ren’ai Jiao. The Philippine ships were carrying illegal building materials at the time.

Global Times