China warns PH of consequences for 'hyping up' incidents in Ayungin Shoal

China’s Ministry of National Defense warned the Philippines of “consequences” over Manila’s alleged hyping up of incidents, provocations, and infringements in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

"The Philippines should immediately stop making provocations and infringements and stop hyping up incidents. Otherwise, all consequences arising therefrom should be borne by itself,” said Chinese defense spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang in a press conference in Beijing.

Zhang made the statement when asked to comment on reports that two small boats from the Philippine Navy’s BRP Sierra Madre allegedly approached China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels in an “unprofessional and dangerous manner.”

GMA News Online has sought comment from the Philippine Navy, the AFP, and the Department of National Defense (DND) on the matter but they have yet to provide a statement as of posting time.

The Chinese ministry also noted the reports that “lots of Chinese vessels gathered in the relevant sea areas” and “some of the vessels seemed to be equipped with machine guns.”

"I want to emphasize that Ren'ai Jiao, being a part of China's Nansha Qundao, is China's inherent territory. It is justified, lawful and beyond reproach for the Chinese vessels to operate in waters under China's jurisdiction," Zhang said.

"We warn the Philippine side not to stubbornly follow the wrong path, and immediately stop making provocations and infringements and stop hyping up incidents. Otherwise, all consequences arising therefrom should be borne by itself," he added.

Malacañang has said that China cannot stop the Philippines from asserting its rights in the West Philippine Sea.

''We cannot stop China from making its own narrative. But they cannot also stop us from fighting for our rights based on laws, UNCLOS, arbitral ruling, and for our being [an] independent country," Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a briefing. 

Manila occupies Ayungin.Shoal, also known by its international name Second Thomas Shoal and called Ren'ai Jiao by the Chinese.

Not a cause for alarm

On Tuesday, the Philippine Navy said the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China had deployed a tugboat near BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal on Monday.

Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, however, said that this is not a cause for alarm.

“While this is not a cause for alarm, it is not also a reason for us to be prepared for them to tow away BRP Sierra Madre. It will take more than a tugboat to pull out BRP Sierra Madre,” Trinidad said.

“Our assessment is that this is more for their own use in the event that they would need a tugboat to pull out any of their ships that would run aground in the shallow portion of Ayungin Shoal,” he added.

Trinidad pointed out the PLAN deployed the tugboat for their own “defensive purposes.”

On August 20, the AFP also monitored Chinese vessels including boats with upgraded weapons in Ayungin Shoal.

The Philippine Navy described this as "escalation."

Ayungin Shoal

The World War II-era BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded in Ayungin Shoal since 1999. The ship has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

Ayungin Shoal is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands. The shoal is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. —VAL, GMA Integrated News