China tells Philippines to ‘immediately withdraw’ from contested South China Sea atoll
Beijing warns of ‘limit to our patience’ after Manila confirms one of its coastguard helicopters resupplied crew on ship at Sabina Shoal
The warning followed Manila’s confirmation earlier on Thursday that the Philippine Coast Guard had resupplied crew on board the BRG Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) using a helicopter after the Chinese side blocked previous resupply missions by boat.
It also came hours after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan wrapped up a three-day visit to China that aimed to contain the risk of conflict ahead of the US presidential election.
Washington and Beijing have agreed to hold a theatre commander telephone call soon, but remain divided over tensions in the disputed South China Sea.
Sullivan said the US would support its allies while China’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi warned the US that it must not use treaties as an excuse to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor should it support or condone “the Philippines’ actions of infringement”.
Gan Yu, a China Coast Guard (CCG) spokesman, said the Chinese side had kept up close surveillance of the helicopter and the airdrop operation on Wednesday and “handled it according to rules”.
“Such risky behaviour by the Philippine side is highly prone to causing unexpected incidents at sea or in the air,” Gan said in a statement released on Thursday.
