AFP mission aborted due to Chinese ships
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) aborted a rotation and resupply (Rore) mission to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal after Chinese vessels began closing in on the Philippine convoy while it was still about 111 kilometers from the military outpost, with commanders citing the risk of escalation.
AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad (Reserve) said on Friday that the encounter began at around 8:35 p.m. on Thursday and continued until about 11 p.m.
“While they were still far away, they were already being contacted and monitored, and the Chinese vessels kept moving closer,” Trinidad told reporters in a phone interview.
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The Philippine convoy consisted of MV Lapu-Lapu and three Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) support vessels bound for the BRP Sierra Madre to deliver supplies and rotate personnel.
Trinidad said that three People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships and five China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels interfered with the mission.
According to him, similar Chinese actions had previously occurred when Philippine vessels were already about 15 to 19 km from BRP Sierra Madre. This time, he said, the convoy was still about 111 km away.
“In the past, they could get within about 15 to 19 kilometers (eight to 10 nautical miles) of the Sierra Madre before encountering these kinds of actions. This time, they were still about 111 km (60 nautical miles) away,” Trinidad said.
Thursday’s aborted mission came after at least 16 Rore operations proceeded without incident since Manila and Beijing reached a provisional understanding on missions to Ayungin Shoal in July 2024.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro told lawmakers earlier this month that the arrangement was only an “information exchange” and did not require the Philippines to seek China’s permission for its missions.
Trinidad said the Chinese vessels progressively closed the distance from miles to thousands and then hundreds of yards while telling the Philippine vessels to leave.
He stopped short of describing the actions as blocking, saying the unified commander of the Philippine convoy decided not to allow the situation to escalate further.
‘Compulsory measures’
The commander also considered that the encounter was taking place at night while the waters were choppy, Trinidad said.
“It was a judgment call by the unified commander,” he added.
The AFP said in a statement earlier Friday that the mission was temporarily suspended “given the possibility of escalation that could endanger our personnel and vessels.”
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PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela later provided additional details of the encounter, saying a PLAN warship monitoring from a distance issued what he described as a radio challenge, warning that it would take “compulsory measures” against the resupply mission.
Tarriela said China deployed nine CCG vessels and five Chinese maritime militia vessels to obstruct the mission, while the PLAN warship monitored from a distance.
CCG vessels then shadowed M/V Lapu-Lapu, with one carrying out dangerous maneuvers and closing to about 1,000 yards, creating a serious risk of collision, according to Tarriela.
BRP Malabrigo, which was deployed to provide security assistance, was also shadowed by CCG vessels.
Legitimate operation
Tarriela said the mission did not push through and was discontinued at around 11:08 p.m. on Thursday for the safety of Philippine personnel. No collision occurred and no one was injured.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), in a separate statement on Friday, denounced the interference by the CCG and PLAN, saying it placed Filipino personnel at risk and obstructed what it described as a “legitimate humanitarian and sustainment operation.”
“The NTF-WPS calls on the China Coast Guard and the PLA Navy to immediately cease interfering with lawful Philippine Rore missions,” the task force said.
It said the Chinese actions were inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award, which affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its exclusive economic zone, including Ayungin Shoal.
Trinidad said the decision to abort Thursday’s mission would not prevent the military from sustaining personnel aboard BRP Sierra Madre.
Asked about another resupply mission, Trinidad said the military does not announce such operations in advance and that contingency plans were in place.
“The safety of our personnel remains paramount, nevertheless, these actions will not deter the AFP from performing its mission,” he said.
Manila and Beijing reached the provisional understanding in July 2024 following a series of confrontations at Ayungin, including a June 2024 encounter in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger.
Under the arrangement, the AFP Western Command determines when a Rore mission will be conducted and informs the Department of Foreign Affairs, which then relays the information to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Lazaro has maintained that the mechanism does not involve seeking Beijing’s approval.
Ayungin is a low-tide elevation about 194 km west of Palawan, within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
The Philippines deliberately grounded the BRP Sierra Madre at the shoal in 1999 and has since maintained troops aboard the vessel.
The 2016 arbitral tribunal ruled that Ayungin is within the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf although China has rejected the ruling. /das
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