Chinese forces damaged PH ships - task force

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines accused China of disrupting a routine rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on Monday through the aggressive actions employed by Chinese maritime forces which damaged Philippine ships.

In a statement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said vessels of the Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N), China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) engaged in dangerous maneuvers, including ramming and towing Philippine ships during the RoRe conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)

«Despite the illegal, aggressive, and reckless actions by the Chinese maritime forces, our personnel showed restraint and professionalism, refrained from escalating the tension, and carried on with their mission,» the task force said.

The NTF-WSP said the aggressive actions of the PLA-N, CCG, and CMM put at risk the lives of Filipino personnel and damaged Philippine ships, in blatant violation of international law.

«The Philippines is committed to pursuing peaceful and responsible actions in accordance with international law. It is our expectation that China, as a member of the international community, would also do the same,» the NTF-WSP said.

«The AFP and PCG remain steadfast in upholding Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,» it added.

The NTF-WSP did not identify the number and what ships were damaged during the incident. Its statement was issued more than 12 hours after the ramming took place.

In a short statement issued hours after the incident was made public by the Chinese state media, the Armed Forces of the Philippines AFP said it would not discuss operational details on the legal humanitarian rotation and resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal.

«We will not dignify the deceptive and misleading claims of the China Coast Guard,» the AFP said.

It maintained that the «continued aggressive actions of the CCG are escalating tensions in the region.»