The exclusive on-site photos obtained by the Global Times on Friday disprove the latest claims by the Philippine Coast Guard that they were “evacuating a sick military member.”
Reuters and other foreign media outlets reported on Friday that the Philippine Coast Guard had accused the China Coast Guard (CCG) of blocking efforts to evacuate a sick member of its armed forces stationed at the Ren’ai Jiao and called the CCG’s actions “barbaric and inhumane.”
However, exclusive on-site photos obtained by the Global Times on Friday show that the Philippine side dispatched the high-speed assault boats to participate in the illegal transport and repair. The boats all belonged to the Philippine military, and carried a large number of suspicious materials.
Observers said that the fastest speed of the military storm boats dispatched by the Philippine side can reach 40-50 knots, and the Philippine side’s use of such “small, fast and sensitive” equipment to participate in illegal transportation activities has highlighted its intent to resist and evade the CCG’s legal rights and law enforcement.
Photo: CCG
Photo: CCG
Live footage also showed that the Philippine military’s high-speed assault boats used for resupply were carrying a large number of suspicious square barrel-like objects and boxed items. Some of these boxes were wrapped in plastic bags to prevent them from getting wet due to the spray generated by the boats’ high speeds.
According to a source close to the matter, the illegal supplies transported by the Philippine side likely included fresh water, food, and other essential items, as well as fuel and construction materials used to reinforce the Philippine’s illegally grounded ship. They might even include spare parts for the maintenance and repair of military equipment.
However, regardless of the nature of the supplies, the Philippine resupply activities were not reported to China in advance, as per the previously reached agreement between China and the Philippines.
The on-site images also completely disprove the Philippines’ claim of “evacuating a sick military officer.” The footage shows that all the personnel on the Philippine military’s high-speed assault boats were in good condition. To carry more illegal supplies, some military personnel even chose to stand on the bumpy boats, vacating seats to load more materials.
In response to the Philippines’ malicious accusations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated at a regular press conference Friday that China’s position on the issue of Ren’ai Jiao is clear.
If the Philippines notifies the Chinese side in advance, China would potentially allow delivery of essential supplies to the grounded warship or evacuation of personnel concerned. However, the Philippines should not use this as an excuse for delivering construction materials in an attempt to permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao, Mao said.
Global Times
