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William Zheng

Manila will send a replacement for a Philippine coastguard ship that headed home on the weekend after a five-month deployment at a fiercely contested shoal in the South China Sea.
The National Maritime Council of the Philippines said on Sunday that the BRP Teresa Magbanua, a 97-metre (318-foot) Philippine Coast Guard ship, was sailing back to its home port from Sabina Shoal with its “mission accomplished”.
The council said the ship carried out its “sentinel duties against overwhelming odds” at the atoll, known in the Philippines as Escoda Shoal and in China as Xianbin Jiao.
But council spokesman Alexander Lopez was quoted by Reuters as saying another vessel would “immediately take over”, citing an order from the Philippine Coast Guard chief.
“Definitely, we will keep our presence there,” he was quoted as saying.
Manila stationed the BRP Teresa Magbanua, one of its biggest coastguard cutters, at the shoal in April to assert its territorial claims, triggering a series of clashes between the Chinese and Philippine vessels.
On Sunday, China Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun said the Philippine boat withdrew from the shoal’s lagoon at around 2pm on Saturday, after “staying illegally” in the area for nearly five months.
Liu said the Chinese side took “control measures” against the Teresa Magbanua, adding that the Philippines’ repeated attempts to resupply the vessel had failed.
He also called the Philippine mission “a serious violation of China’s territorial sovereignty, a serious violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and a serious undermining of regional peace and stability”.




He was referring to a document signed by China and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2002, reaffirming freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful settlement of disputes, and self-restraint.
“We warn the Philippines to stop the acts of inciting, ‘hyping up’ and risking infringement, and to work with China to uphold the seriousness and effectiveness of the [declaration],” state broadcaster CCTV quoted Liu as saying.
Beijing “has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Xianbin Jiao and its adjacent waters”, he said, using the Chinese name for the Spratly Islands.
He added that the China Coast Guard would continue to carry out “rights protection and law enforcement activities” in the waters under China’s jurisdiction in accordance with the law, and “resolutely safeguard the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.


The South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Beijing-based defence think tank, also said it was monitoring the Teresa Magbanua and had tracked it back to the Philippines.
Sabina Shoal is a coral atoll that belongs to the resource-rich Spratly Islands. It was also the site of at least three collisions in August as Chinese fleets tried to block Manila’s efforts to resupply the Teresa Magbanua. The two sides blamed each other for the incidents.
In an attempt to ease recent tensions, Chinese foreign vice-minister Chen Xiaodong and Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine undersecretary for foreign affairs, met in Beijing last week for maritime talks.
Both sides described the meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism as “candid”.
The Chinese foreign ministry said the two sides agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic channels.


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German warships in the Philippines: a sign of things to come?

Philippines blames China for starved, dehydrated sailors at Sabina Shoal

In the Philippines, China’s media ‘charm offensive’ seeks to shift perceptions

South China Sea

South China Sea: Philippine ship leaves Sabina Shoal, but Manila vows to send another

The BRP Teresa Magbanua arrives at a port in Puerto Princesa in the Philippines on Sunday after spending months anchored at a South China Sea reef also claimed by Beijing. Photo: AFP / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)

China and Philippines agree to keep talking after ‘candid’ Sabina Shoal discussions

Beijing and Manila agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic channels in the latest talks on the South China Sea. Photo: Xinhua

Why the South China Sea’s impact extends far beyond its waters

South China Sea: why Beijing takes a low-key approach to Vietnam but not the Philippines

Chinese and Philippine coastguard vessels confront each other near Sabina Shoal on Sunday. Photo: AFP

China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of a number of other countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines. Graphic: SCMP

The Spratly Islands are one of the most bitterly contests parts of the South China Sea. Graphic: SCMP

News

China

Diplomacy

Philippine maritime council says another vessel will ‘immediately take over’ for ship China says stayed illegally in disputed Spratlys


Philippine maritime council says another vessel will ‘immediately take over’ for ship China says stayed illegally in disputed Spratlys.


China-Philippines relations