Two Philippine small transport ships and three coast guard vessels enter the waters near Ren’ai Jiao in China’s Nansha Islands on November 10, 2023 without the permission of the Chinese government. The China Coast Guard lawfully monitors and controls the Philippine vessels. Photo: Visual News

Thirty-four Philippine personnel have landed on Tiexian Jiao (Tiexian Reef) in the South China Sea on Thursday, ignoring warning and dissuasion from the Chinese side, said China Coast Guard (CCG). Regarding such violations, the Chinese coast guard lawfully landed on the reef to investigate and handle the situation. 

The actions of the Filipino side violate Chinese territorial sovereignty, contravene the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and disrupt peace and stability in the South China Sea, which China firmly oppose, said Gan Yu, a spokesperson for Chinese Coast Guard, on Thursday afternoon. 

Gan stressed that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Tiexian Jiao, and its adjacent waters, with ample historical and legal basis.

We urge the Filipino side to immediately cease their infringement, warned Gan.

For some time, the Philippines has been sending people to Tiexian Jiao and other uninhabited islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands and sending aircraft and vessels to intrude into adjacent waters and airspace of China's Nansha Islands and Huangyan Dao, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry at a press conference in December. 

The Foreign Ministry said then that China made serious demarches for nearly 100 times and officially expressed protest to the Philippines. 

In the past few months, the Philippines has repeatedly provoked China over disputes in the South China Sea, including attempting to illegally intrude into waters near China's Huangyan Dao, and groundlessly smearing Beijing for using cyanide to destroy the fishing area, which experts said is a move trying to create more waves among international public opinion to press China through its "combined tactics," but it could not cover up its real purpose of fabricating lies and taking China's islands and reefs as its own.

On March 14, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin noted that the Philippine side should stop misleading the international community and using the South China Sea issue to instigate disputes. 

On March 6, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged the US to refrain from using the Philippines as a pawn to destabilize the South China Sea. The Philippines also needs to refrain from being manipulated by the US, she said.