China allows Philippines to retrieve sick individual

China allows Philippines to retrieve sick individual

The China Coast Guard allowed the Philippines to retrieve a sick person for medical treatment from a Philippine warship illegally grounded in the South China Sea on humanitarian grounds on Sunday following a request from the Philippine side, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Gan Yu said the China Coast Guard had monitored and verified the Philippine actions throughout the process in accordance with the law.

The Philippine military vessel was grounded at Ren'ai Reef in 1999. The Philippine side promised to tow away the warship, according to China's Foreign Ministry, but 25 years have passed, and the Philippine warship is still stranded at the reef.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman told a news conference in Beijing in April that China and the Philippines had reached an understanding on properly managing the situation at Ren'ai Reef.

The Philippine side had committed not to reinforce the grounded warship and to notify China in advance of resupply plans, while in return, China, on humanitarian grounds, had made temporary special arrangements multiple times to allow the Philippines to deliver necessary living supplies to the grounded vessel, he said.

But he said the Philippines had repeatedly reneged on its promises and attempted to transport construction materials intended for large-scale repairs and reinforcement of the vessel, aiming for the permanent occupation of Ren'ai Reef.

On Tuesday, Gan criticized the Philippine authorities for "ignoring facts and maliciously hyping the situation", thereby "deliberately misleading international perception".

"China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Ren'ai Reef, and their adjacent waters," he said.

The China Coast Guard will continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities in waters under China's jurisdiction, resolutely safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, he added.