BEIJING — China has renewed its criticism of the Philippines over the long-running dispute surrounding Ren’ai Jiao, known internationally as Second Thomas Shoal, urging Manila to fulfill what Beijing says is a decades-old commitment to remove a grounded military vessel from the contested feature in the South China Sea. Chinese officials maintain that Ren’ai Jiao is an integral part of China’s Nansha Qundao (Spratly Islands) and allege that the Philippine Navy deliberately grounded the BRP Sierra Madre on the reef on May 9, 1999, while describing it as an accidental stranding. According to Beijing, the Philippine government repeatedly pledged to tow the vessel away but has failed to do so over the past 27 years, instead reinforcing its presence through resupply missions and maintenance operations. China accused Manila of violating its commitments, engaging in provocative activities, and spreading what it described as disinformation regarding the situation at the disputed shoal. Beijing called on the Philippines to honor its previous assurances, halt actions it considers provocative, restrain personnel operating in the area, and remove the grounded vessel, warning that any consequences arising from continued tensions would rest with the Philippine side. The dispute over Ren’ai Jiao remains one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the South China Sea, where overlapping territorial claims by China and several Southeast Asian nations have led to repeated maritime confrontations and diplomatic disputes. While China asserts historical sovereignty over the feature as part of the Nansha Islands, the Philippines maintains that Second Thomas Shoal lies within its exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), underscoring the deep legal and geopolitical divisions that continue to fuel tensions in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
Tensions surrounding Ren’ai Jiao, China sends a strong message to the Philippines
