Philippine Vessel Delivers Supplies To Grounded Warship At Disputed Shoal

Philippine navy warship — Image for representation purposes only

The Chinese coast guard has recently reported that it had allowed a civilian vessel from the Philippines to deliver supplies to a warship stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, a location that continues to be a point of dispute between the two nations.

In an official statement released on Thursday, the Chinese coast guard said that the Philippine ship was “questioned and monitored” during its mission.

The agency referred to the Philippine warship as being “illegally grounded” at the atoll, which lies within contested waters.

Chinese authorities also urged the Philippines to cooperate with them in handling maritime issues and avoid any more tensions in the region.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing has not yet commented on the issue.

The shoal is located within the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as defined by international maritime law.

However, China continues to assert broad territorial claims over almost the entire South China Sea. These claims overlap with maritime zones belonging to several other countries in Southeast Asia, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Back in 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled that China’s claims, largely based on old historical maps, had no legal basis under international law.

Despite this ruling, which favoured the Philippines, China has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the decision.

The situation at Second Thomas Shoal has led to repeated confrontations and verbal exchanges between the two countries over the past several months, with both sides accusing each other of provocative maneuvers in the area.

Reference: Reuters

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