The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) denounced the alleged interference by China Coast Guard (CCG) and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) vessels in a Philippine Rotation and Resupply (RoRe) mission to Ayungin Shoal on September 24.
According to the NTF-WPS, the Chinese vessels hindered the routine mission to deliver essential supplies and rotate personnel stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre (LS57).
“In doing so, they put Filipino personnel at risk and obstructed a legitimate humanitarian and sustainment operation,” the task force said in a statement Friday.
The NTF-WPS said the actions of the CCG and PLA Navy were inconsistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award, which affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction within its exclusive economic zone, including Ayungin Shoal.
The task force called on the CCG and PLA Navy to “immediately cease interfering with lawful Philippine RoRe missions.”
“The Philippines will continue to conduct lawful operations in the West Philippine Sea and exercise its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law,” it added.
