10-7-2024 (BEIJING) China’s coast guard has asserted that it “allowed” the Philippines to evacuate an ill person from a rusting warship grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal, a claim that Manila’s coast guard has swiftly dismissed as “ridiculous.” The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between the two nations over maritime claims in the contested South China Sea.
In a statement, the Chinese Coast Guard said it had monitored the entire rescue operation on Sunday, July 7, which a spokesperson claimed was carried out at the request of the Philippines. However, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson, Jay Tarriela, vehemently refuted this claim, stating, “This statement confirms their illegal deployment of vessels within our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) and highlights their government’s view that the preservation of human life and welfare requires approval.”
The Philippine coast guard had previously reported “numerous obstructing and delaying manoeuvres” by China’s coast guard during the medical evacuation. This accusation echoes a similar incident a month ago when the PCG accused its Chinese counterpart of blocking a medical evacuation from the same warship, labeling the actions “barbaric and inhumane.”
China’s foreign ministry had responded at the time, stating that China would allow the Philippines to deliver supplies and evacuate personnel if Manila notified Beijing ahead of such missions.
The Second Thomas Shoal, a partially submerged reef, has been a longstanding source of contention between the two nations. The Philippines has maintained a presence of soldiers living aboard a rusty, aging warship deliberately grounded on the shoal in 1999 to reinforce its maritime claims in the South China Sea.
China’s navy has clashed several times with Philippine forces attempting to resupply the grounded ship, further exacerbating tensions in the region.
China claims a vast swathe of the South China Sea as its own territory, a strategic waterway through which approximately US$3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade passes. Beijing’s expansive maritime claims were rejected by the 2016 ruling of The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, which stated that China’s claims had no legal basis.
