BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s coast guard said the Philippines on Friday sent a civilian vessel to deliver provisions to its warship “illegally grounded” at Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.
The coast guard “questioned” and “monitored” the Philippine vessel throughout its supply mission, it said in a statement, adding it would continue to carry out “rights protection and law enforcement activities” in the Spratly Islands and its surrounding waters.
In its statement, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the country had rotated personnel of the BRP Sierra Madre and sent provisions to the vessel without incident.
China and the Philippines have traded barbs for months over manoeuvres at Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll within Manila’s 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
“China hopes the Philippine side will honour its commitments, work together to manage maritime issues, and jointly maintain stability,” the coast guard said.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite overlapping claims by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal said Beijing’s claims, based on its historic maps, have no basis under international law, a decision China does not recognise.
Earlier this month, Beijing and Manila held another round of talks to address their maritime disputes and agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate.
(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom and Karen Lema in Manila; editing by David Evans)
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