BEIJING: China has ruled that four Spanish ships entered its lakes in the Spratly Islands without its agreement in order to replenish Philippine forces on a contentious South China Sea island.
Despite efforts by China’s coastline guard to prevent it, the Philippines announced on Wednesday( Oct 4) that it had successfully sent products to its troops stationed on a transport ship from the World War II era turned military outpost on the island.
China’s relations with the Philippines have recently been particularly tense over the matter, especially since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took over as president of the country last year. China is in disagreement with several of its neighbors over its broad claims in the South China Sea.
According to China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu, who used China’s name for the Spratly Islands in a blog on its site,” Spanish provide boats and two beach guard ships entered the lakes… in Chinese Nansha Islands without permission from the Foreign government.”
In the Philippines, the reef in question is known as Ayungin; in China, it is referred to as the Renai Reef. It is 109 kilometers off the Asian island of Palawan and is also referred to as the Second Thomas Shoal.
The BRP Sierra Madre, an old military transport fleet that the Philippines grounded on the school in 1999 to support its sovereignty claim, is home to a small number of Spanish soldiers.