China files diplomatic protest over PCG ship at Escoda Shoal

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:04 p.m.) — China has lodged a diplomatic protest with the Philippine government over the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) anchoring of the BRP Teresa Magbanua at Escoda Shoal.

In a statement posted on the website of China’s embassy in Manila on Friday, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian described the PCG’s ship as “illegally anchoring” on the shoal, which “seriously infringes on China’s sovereignty.”

“China has protested to the Philippines through diplomatic channels and asked the Philippines to stop its infringement activities and withdraw the vessel at once,” it said. 

In response to China's protest, Tarriela said that it should stop citing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as China "has not honored or followed a single provision" of the declaration.

"As far as the region is concerned, it is only Beijing that constantly violates this declaration," Tarriela said in a post on X.

He added that the PCG vessel is deployed in the area to protect the country's sovereign rights and combat illegal fishing activities, not to provoke or escalate tensions.

Escoda Shoal, a coral reef formation with a central lagoon, is located 140 kilometers west of Palawan and falls within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2016.

The Philippine Navy and PCG use Escoda Shoal as a staging point for resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre, which is anchored at Ayungin Shoal, also within the Philippines’ EEZ.

The BRP Teresa Magbanua has been stationed at Escoda Shoal since April, following reports of Chinese reclamation activities in the area.

In July, PCG’s West Philippine Sea spokesperson Jay Tarriela accused China of deploying a “monster” ship to intimidate the PCG vessel.

Latest data from the Armed Forces of the Philippines indicate that 92 Chinese maritime vessels were spotted in different areas of the West Philippine Sea from August 6 to August 12, a decrease from the 122 vessels recorded from July 30 to August 5.

On August 12, the Philippine government also lodged a diplomatic protest regarding an incident involving a Philippine Air Force patrol aircraft and Chinese fighter jets.

China asserts ownership over nearly the entire South China Sea, dismissing the competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines.

It continues to ignore the 2016 UNCLOS ruling, which found its claims to the West Philippine Sea to be legally unfounded.