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Liu Zhen

China will take “resolute and strong measures” against encroaching Philippine coastguard ships at disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, the foreign ministry said on Friday.
Asked about the ongoing stand-off, ministry spokesman Lin Jian accused the Philippine coastguard vessel stationed at the lagoon by Sabina Shoal of “seriously infringing China’s sovereignty, seriously violating the declaration on the DOC and seriously threatening peace and stability in the South China Sea”.
The DOC refers to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, a non-binding principle and guideline that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed in 2002.
It calls on all parties to peacefully handle South China Sea disputes “with restraint” through dialogue and consultation as well as avoid taking unilateral moves.


“China has made solemn representations to the Philippines through diplomatic channels, demanding that the Philippine side immediately cease its infringing behaviour and withdraw the vessels concerned,” Lin said of the flashpoint.
The BRP Teresa Magbanua, flagship of the Philippine Coast Guard, has been deployed to Sabina Shoal since April. It has been reported that its sister ship, the BRP Melchora Aquino, is en route and due to take over the flagship’s responsibilities.
Since July, China has sent its own ships, including the 12,000-tonne CCG-5901 – the world’s largest coastguard vessel – to keep watch over the Philippine craft.
“China is closely monitoring the developments and will take resolute and strong measures to safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Lin said.
Also on Friday, the Chinese defence ministry accused the Philippines of “inviting wolves into the house and willingly acting as their pawns” by involving the United States and its allies in the South China Sea disputes.
China had “indisputable sovereignty” over the islands and reefs in the region and adjacent waters, it added.

“We will take legitimate countermeasures against deliberate infringements and provocations to protect our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said.
Sabina Shoal – called Xianbin Reef by China and Escoda Shoal by the Philippines – forms part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
It is located within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone set forth by Manila but also claimed by Beijing.
The uninhabited reef has emerged as the latest area of contention between China and the Philippines over the past few months, in addition to the long-contested Second Thomas Shoal and Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing is worried that what happened at Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 could happen again. In that instance, the Philippines intentionally grounded a retired warship on the reef, leaving it to serve as an outpost.
Manila has maintained control of the shoal until now, and over the past year, the issue of resupplying personnel stationed on the rusty shipwreck has become a source of tension and run-ins between the two sides.


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South China Sea

China vows ‘strong measures’ against Philippines over encroaching ships in South China Sea

The BRP Teresa Magbanua, flagship of the Philippine Coast Guard, has been deployed to Sabina Shoal since April. Photo: Handout

A Chinese navy ship sails at sunrise near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in February. Photo: AFP

South China Sea: scepticism over expanding Manila-Beijing resupply deal

A Chinese coastguard vessel blocks a Philippine resupply vessel on its way to a resupply mission at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in March. Photo: Reuters

Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo has accused China of having “overtaken our airspace”. Photo: Reuters

Philippine coastguard ship ‘heading for disputed South China Sea reef’

The BRP Teresa Magbanua will be replaced by its sister ship at Sabina Shoal, according to a Beijing-based institute. Photo: Handout

Graphic: SCMP / Mapcreator

South China Sea: Chinese coastguard ‘monitoring’ Philippine vessels near Sabina Shoal

Philippine coastguard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels on a fuel assistance mission to the Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard

SCMP / Mapcreator

China’s Wang Yi warns Philippines that deploying US missiles could trigger ‘arms race’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) meets  Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo in Vientiane, Laos on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

China says grounded Philippine warship harms Second Thomas Shoal marine life and must be removed

An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal on March 9, 2023. China wants the Philippines to remove the grounded vessel Sierra Madre from a disputed reef in the South China Sea because of alleged environmental damage. Photo: Reuters

A Philippine flag aboard BRP Sierra Madre, the dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 on Second Thomas Shoal of the Spratly Islands. Photo: Reuters

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Sabina Shoal is latest flashpoint between Beijing and Manila as foreign ministry decries ‘infringing behaviour’


Sabina Shoal is latest flashpoint between Beijing and Manila as foreign ministry decries ‘infringing behaviour’.
