MANILA – The National Maritime Council (NMC) rejected statements made by Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan regarding the Philippines’ activities at Ayungin Shoal, saying the envoy misrepresented the scope of the provisional understanding between Manila and Beijing.

The statement came after Jing accused the Philippines of violating the July 2024 provisional understanding by allegedly conducting construction work on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippine Navy’s outpost 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 council said.

The NMC said the ambassador’s assertions “misrepresent both the Philippines’ sovereign rights over Ayungin Shoal and the purpose and scope of the Provisional Understanding.”

According to the council, the arrangement was established solely to facilitate lawful and safe rotation and resupply (RORE) missions to BRP Sierra Madre while minimizing 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,” it said.

The NMC reiterated that Ayungin Shoal is a low-tide elevation within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as 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 council also criticized attempts to use the provisional understanding to justify 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 NMC’s statement echoed an earlier clarification from the Department of Foreign Affairs that the provisional understanding serves only as a framework to avoid misunderstandings during the Philippines’ routine RORE missions and does not recognize any Chinese authority over Philippine waters.

The issue resurfaced after a recent confrontation near BRP Sierra Madre, during which Philippine military officials said China Coast Guard personnel assaulted Philippine Navy troops with wooden batons, leaving two sailors injured.

Following the incident, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. summoned 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 Beijing to refrain from statements and actions that could undermine efforts to maintain peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea, while reaffirming the Philippines’ commitment to peacefully resolve disputes and uphold its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in accordance with international law.