Chinese embassy official insists Philippines ''commitment'' to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal ''put on record''
A Chinese embassy official insisted that the Philippine's alleged commitment to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal (Ren-Ai Reef) was "put on record and well documented".
In a forum in Quezon City on Monday, Zhou Zhiyong, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy of the Philippines said the alleged commitment was made after China requested the Philippines to tow away its vessels after it was grounded in the shoal in 1999.
His statement comes as the military is preparing a second resupply mission to soldiers at BRP Sierra Madre this week. Chinese Coast Guard ships blocked the earlier resupply mission on August 5.
"On May 9 1999, the Philippine Navy tank landing ship LT 57 intruded into Ren-I reef and illegally grounded citing the excuse of dilapidation being stranded and distressed. The Chinese side knots solemn representations immediately requesting the Philippine side to tow away the vessel," he said.
"The Philippine side also made explicit commitments to do so. The representations were put on record and well documented, on this the Philippine media made extensive coverage then, it's been 24 years and the Philippine side is yet to honor its commitments," he added.
Zhiyong stressed that "in those 24 years, the Philippine side has not encountered a problem for such humanitarian resupply. Meanwhile, the Chinese side has also made it clear that we are firmly against transportation of large scale construction materials to the grounded warship with the (perseverance) of permanent occupation (through) reinforcements."
He noted that "at the end of 2021, China and the Philippines have conducted several rounds of discussions in order to manage the disputes over Ren-I reef" which includes "consensus on Ren-I reef resupply mission, throughout the year 2022".
"Unfortunately, beginning early this year, the Philippine government refused to acknowledge and implement the existing consensus and started to take a series of unilateral actions," he said.
Despite this, Zhiyong said China "suggested earlier this year" for a dialogue with the Philippines to "discuss measures to strengthen management of the situation of Ren-I reef as early as possible to ensure peace and tranquility of the relevant waters."
"We also provided to the Philippine side a draft proposal. We are still waiting for the formal response from the Philippine side to prevent any further incidents from occurring, the Chinese side has launched representations both in Beijing and Manila to the Philippine side, requesting the Philippines to return to the track of honoring the existing consensus and refrain from taking unilateral actions before any new understanding is switched between us," he said.
It can be recalled that after the Chinese ships blocked the Philippine resupply vessels in Ayungin Shoal last August 5, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya challenged China to produce legal documents to support their claims on alleged commitment of the Philippine to tow away the BRP Sierra Madre from the shoal.
But last week President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is "not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove" BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal and noted that he is rescinding ''that agreement now if there does exist such an agreement."
As he recall the visit of Marcos to China early this year, Zhiyong reiterated that "the top leaders of our two countries reached consensus that our bilateral relations are not defined by the South China Sea disputes and the reason and the relevant situation must be properly managed through dialogue and consultation."
Zhiyong said China is "confident that so long as we have the strong political will to earnestly implement the consensus between the heads of state of our two countries. We will be able to properly handle our disputes and maintain peace and stability in the South China Seas".
"China has repeatedly expressed its willingness to resolve differences with the Philippines through bilateral dialogues. We hope that the Philippine side will abide by the existing consensus and cherish the heart of one situation in our bilateral relations, meet the Chinese side halfway and find an effective way of managing the situation on the sea through prompt Diplomatic consultations," he said."The Chinese side is also willing to accelerate the consultations on the code of conduct on the South China Sea together with the ASEAN members, including the Philippines to reach agreement at an early date on effective and meaningful original rules in line with international laws, including the UNCLOS," he added. Robina Asido/DMS
