The National Maritime Council (NMC) on Thursday rejected Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan’s interpretation of the 2024 provisional understanding on Ayungin Shoal, saying the arrangement does not give Beijing any authority over Philippine activities within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The council issued the statement after Jing accused the Philippines of violating the provisional understanding by allegedly carrying out construction work on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.
“The National Maritime Council firmly rejects statements by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China regarding the Philippines’ lawful activities in Ayungin Shoal and the Provisional Understanding for Rotation and Resupply to BRP Sierra Madre,” the NMC said.
It added that the Chinese envoy’s remarks “misrepresent both the Philippines’ sovereign rights over Ayungin Shoal and the purpose and scope of the Provisional Understanding.”
According to the council, the agreement was crafted solely to facilitate the safe and lawful rotation and resupply (RORE) missions to BRP Sierra Madre while reducing the risk of incidents at sea.
“It is not an instrument that grants any country the authority to approve, regulate, inspect or restrict Philippine activities at Ayungin Shoal,” the NMC said.
The council stressed that Ayungin Shoal is a low-tide elevation that forms part of the Philippines’ EEZ and continental shelf under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a status affirmed by the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.
“There is no requirement for the Philippines to seek permission before undertaking lawful activities in its own EEZ under international law,” the NMC said.
“There is likewise no agreement nor arrangement that has altered or diminished the sovereign rights that the Philippines exercises over Ayungin Shoal.”
The NMC also criticized efforts to use the provisional understanding to justify China’s actions against Philippine personnel.
“Equally unacceptable is any attempt to invoke the Provisional Understanding or blame the Philippines’ lawful activities in Ayungin Shoal to justify coercive or violent actions against Philippine personnel,” it said.
“Confidence-building measures exist to prevent incidents — not to rationalize actions that increase tensions or endanger lives.”
The council’s statement echoed an earlier clarification from the Department of Foreign Affairs, which said the provisional understanding is only a set of principles intended to avoid misunderstandings during Philippine resupply missions and does not recognize any Chinese authority over Philippine operations in Ayungin Shoal.
The issue resurfaced after a recent confrontation near BRP Sierra Madre, where Philippine military officials accused China Coast Guard personnel of attacking Philippine Navy troops with wooden batons, injuring two sailors.
Following the incident, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing to Malacañang and condemned what the government described as China’s “illegal, aggressive and barbaric actions” against Filipino personnel in the West Philippine Sea.
The NMC called on China to refrain from statements and actions that undermine peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea, while reaffirming the Philippines’ commitment to defending its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction through peaceful means and in accordance with international law.
