China: Philippines 'lying' for 15 years on Ayungin issue

MANILA, Philippines — China accused the Philippines of misleading the public and the international community on the real intent behind the grounded Philippine Navy vessel BRP Sierra Madre in the contested Ayungin Reef.

In its position paper released Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said that the stranded vessel is among the main contentions between the two countries locked in maritime and territorial disputes.

"The statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines on March 14 openly stated that the vessel 'grounded' 15 years ago was actually meant to occupy the reef, which proves that the Philippine side has been lying for 15 years," Embassy spokesman Zhang Hua said in the statement.

Read: China's position paper on sea disputes with Philippines

The DFA statement was a response to China's repeated bid to have the decrepit World War II transport ship towed by the Philippine government.

DFA denied that Manila agreed to pull it out as it was intentionally grounded to serve as an outpost.

"The BRP Sierra Madre, a commissioned Philippine Naval Vessel, was placed in Ayung Shoal in 1999 to serve as a permanent Philippine Government installation in response to China's illegal occupation of the Mischief (Panganiban) Reef in 1995," the bureau said.

Beijing recalled that Manila cited the "lack of spare parts" in refusing to tow away the ship from Ayungin, which China calls its Ren'ai Reef.

"A public denial of its own promise will make it lose credibility to the international community," Zhang said.

The Asian power also believes that its Southeast Asian neighbor violated the ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in South China Sea.

DFA, however, pointed out that the DOC was only agreed upon by several states in 2002, while the grounding incident was in 1999.

China also thinks the Philippines has been attempting to build facilities on the outcropping.

"The Chinese government vessels on routine patrol in waters off the Nansha Islands found again that the Philippine side, under the cover of reprovision to the 'grounded' vessel, sent ships to transport rebar and cement in order to reinforce the facilities on the reef," Zhang said.

"There is no way for the Chinese side to accept this," he added.

On March 28, a government ship carrying supplies and replacement troops to BRP Sierra Madre slipped past a Chinese coast guard blockade.

In another incident on March 9, Chinese vessels drove away two civilian vessels contracted by the Philippine Navy on its way to Ayungin.

China also believes the Philippines is hyping up the issue over Ayungin through the media to gain sympathy and use it as an addition to the memorial submitted before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea last Sunday.