Beijing says Philippines made ‘illegal landing’ on disputed reef in South China Sea
- A brief statement from Beijing provides few details beyond saying the Chinese coastguard had ‘handled the incident’
- Incident follows a series of confrontations between the two sides including collisions between ships and the use of water cannons
China’s coastguard said in a statement on its official social media accounts that 34 people had had “ignored warnings from the Chinese side and illegally landed” on Tiexian Reef, part of the northern Spratly Islands.
The statement did not say whether the Filipinos were military personnel or civilians. It also did not say if they had been detained or expelled by the Chinese coastguards.
“Law enforcement officers of the Chinese coastguard landed on the reef, investigated and handled the incident in accordance with the law,” coastguard spokesman Gan Yu said, without further elaborating.
He said China has an “indisputable” sovereign right to the Spratlys, including the reef, and firmly opposed the landing attempt that “violates China’s territorial sovereignty and undermines peace and stability in the South China Sea”.
“We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop the infringements. The Chinese coastguard will continue to protect our legal rights and enforce the law in waters under China’s jurisdiction,” Gan added.