The Philippines newest resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal has been profitable, the navy mentioned Friday.
“Yes, successful ang pag-resupply (the resupply mission was successful),” mentioned Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. mentioned.
It was the third resupply mission after the August 5 incident the place the Chinese Coast Guard used water cannons in opposition to the Philippine Coast Guard fleet conducting the same mission.
Another resupply mission was performed and accomplished on August 22.
A Philippine ship, BRP Sierra Madre, has been grounded on the Ayungin Shoal since 1999. The ship, which is manned by greater than a dozen Marines and sailors, has grow to be a logo of Philippine sovereignty within the offshore territory.
Ayungin Shoal is a part of the Kalayaan Island Group, which is an integral a part of the Philippines, in addition to the Philippines’ unique financial zone and continental shelf, over which the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.
The shoal is being claimed by China, which calls it Ren’ai Jiao.
Former US Air Force official and ex-Defense Attaché Ray Powell, who has been monitoring the mission, earlier within the day mentioned Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan escorted the resupply boats.
In a collection of tweets early Friday morning, Powell mentioned two China Coast Guard ships and 10 maritime militia vessels had been “blocking” entrance to Ayungin Shoal.
“Previous resupply missions encountered ‘dark’ China Coast Guard ships (not broadcasting automatic information system, or AIS). Unclear if dark ships present today, but forward deployment of so many militia ships suggests fewer CCG than before,” Powell mentioned on X, previously often known as Twitter.
One Chinese cargo ship, Chang Zheng 1 Hao, was additionally current for “unknown purposes,” Powell mentioned.
According to the navy, the Philippine fleet entered the neighborhood of Ayungin Shoal previous 10:03 a.m. As of posting time, the boats had been unloading their cargoes containing the provides for the personnel manning BRP Sierra Madre.
The fleet will return to Palawan province after the mission.
China has objected to the resupply missions, saying the Philippines is “transporting construction materials” to the grounded ship “with the intent of permanently occupying” the shoal.
China earlier claimed that the Philippine authorities had promised to take away the vessel within the Ayungin Shoal. It claims that the shoal is a part of its territory within the South China Sea.
The Philippine authorities, via the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), has dismissed China’s demand to take away BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal, saying the grounded ship is a everlasting navy station tasked to “protect and secure Philippine rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea.”
No lower than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has denied that the Philippine authorities had promised China to take away BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal. He additionally mentioned that he’s rescinding any dedication ought to there actually be an current settlement between the Philippines and China on the elimination of the vessel. —KBK, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
