South China Sea: Beijing will ‘respond resolutely’ if Manila builds permanent structure on disputed reef
- China says Philippine plan to install permanent facility on Second Thomas Shoal is ‘provocative’, and infringes on its sovereignty
- Tensions around the area spiked in recent months as China’s coastguard repeatedly blocked Philippine navy from resupply missions
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday that Manila’s plan to establish a permanent base on the Renai Jiao – or Second Thomas Shoal – in the Spratly Islands amounted to “a significant move” that would “seriously infringe on China’s sovereignty”.
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“China will respond resolutely to any provocation and infringement and firmly safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” she said.
But Mao said the Second Thomas Shoal was an uninhabited reef and the establishment of any permanent structures would be a significant change to the status quo.
“[Building a permanent structure] would be a major attempt by the Philippine side to renege on its commitments, change its policy and ruin the unmanned and unbuilt state of the Renai Jiao once again.”
Mao repeated the foreign ministry’s stance in denouncing the arbitration ruling, insisting that China’s sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, including the Second Thomas Shoal, and its surrounding waters was “formed and established in long history” and was “indisputable”.
Simmering tensions over the Second Thomas Shoal boiled over in recent months as China’s coastguard repeatedly blocked the Philippine navy from resupplying military personnel stationed on a ship that was deliberately stranded on the reef in 1999.
Manila accused Beijing’s coastguard vessels and its maritime militia of firing water cannons at its resupply boats, and “deliberately” ramming them. Earlier this month, the chief of staff of the Philippine armed forces, Romeo Brawner, was reportedly on board one of the boats that was rammed.
China accused the Philippines of “provocatively ramming Chinese coastguard ships”, actions it labelled as “dangerous and unprofessional”.
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On Thursday, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian accused the Philippines of “staging a show of conflict” by embedding journalists on its supply boats and “releasing fake news”.
“China … will not stand by idly as the Philippines repeatedly provokes trouble and creates a scene,” Wu said.