BEIJING: China is committed to properly managing differences through dialogue and consultations, but its “tolerance does have a limit”, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday regarding the Philippines’ recent provocations in China’s Xianbin Reef in the South China Sea.
The spokesman, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing, criticizing the Southeast Asian country’s efforts to seek long-term existence in the uninhabited reef by illegally anchoring a vessel there.
In April, Philippine coast guard ship No 9701 entered the lagoon of Xianbin Reef and has been anchored there since. Chinese authorities closely monitored and managed an illegal resupply mission by a Philippine H-145 helicopter on Wednesday near the Xianbin Reef, China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said late on Thursday.
Gan said the helicopter had attempted to deliver supplies to a Philippine coast guard vessel unlawfully stationed in the area. He warned that this risky maneuver by the Philippines could result in unforeseen maritime and aerial incidents.
He noted that the Philippines had recently tried and failed to resupply the No 9701 ship using watercraft such as coast guard ships, government vessels and fishing boats. The spokesman said that the No 9701 ship is operational and capable of leaving independently. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
