Image Courtesy of: Inquirer.net
By: Junex Doronio
AS IF TAUNTING the Philippines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has flatly denied allegations that the Chinese were responsible for the damage to corals in the West Philippine Sea while demanding the immediate removal of BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal.
“The Philippines’ accusations have no factual basis. We urge relevant party of the Philippines to stop creating a political drama from fiction,” Mao said on Thursday, September 21.
She added that if the Philippines truly cares about the environment, it should remove the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal, the formation that China called Ren’ai Jiao.
“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,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed.
She said the Philippines should stop the vessel “from discharging polluted water into the ocean and not let the rusting warship bring irrevocable harm to the ocean.”
The BRP Sierra Madre, which was deliberately grounded at the Ayungin Shoal in 1999 during the administration of President Joseph “Erap” Estrada, has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.
To recall, the Philippines first filed a complaint against China in 2013 for its massive claims in the South China Sea under its nine-dash line claim.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidated Beijing’s claim, and said that its nine-dash line has no legal basis under international law. (ai/mnm)