China to PH: 'Stop polluting waters, remove rusting ship'

CHINA said the Philippines should tow away its «rusting» ship in the Ren'ai Jiao or Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and «stop polluting» the waters around it if it really cares about the environment.

A dilapidated Philippine Navy ship LT 57 (Sierra Madre) with Philippine troops deployed on board is anchored off Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, on March 30, 2014, in the South China Sea. Chinese coast guard ships blocked and used water cannons on two Philippine supply boats heading to a disputed shoal occupied by Filipino marines in the South China Sea, provoking an angry protest against China and a warning from the Philippine government that its vessels are covered under a mutual defense treaty with the U.S., Manila’s top diplomat said Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stressed this Thursday evening in reaction to the Philippines plan, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), to file a complaint against China before an international court for damage to its coral reefs in the South China Sea.

«The Philippines' accusations have no factual basis. We urge relevant parties of the Philippines to stop creating a political drama from fiction,» MoFA spokesman Mao Ning said on Thursday.

«If the Philippines truly cares about the ecological environment of the South China Sea, it should tow away the illegally 'grounded' warship at Ren'ai Jiao as soon as possible, stop it from discharging polluted water into the ocean and not let the rusting warship bring irrevocable harm to the ocean,» she said.

Sen. Ana Teresia «Risa» Hontiveros has renewed her call for China to pay environmental damages for the destruction of the reef