The Philippines confirmed on Sunday (September 15) that its coast guard ship, BRP Teresa Magbanua, had returned to its home port after months of confrontation with a Chinese coast guard ship in the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippines immediately dispatched another vessel to replace the BRP Teresa Magbanua at Sabina Shoal. This move could potentially provoke China once again.
Sabina Shoal, known as the Sabina Reef by the Philippines, is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China claims sovereignty over this area. The Philippine coast guard ship BRP Teresa Magbanua had been anchored near Sabina Shoal since mid-April to assert the Philippines’ sovereignty over the area in its exclusive economic zone and to prevent China from taking control of the region.
Lucas Bersamin, the Executive Secretary and Chairman of the Philippine National Maritime Commission, stated in a release on Sunday that after over five months of patrolling at sea, the BRP Teresa Magbanua had successfully fulfilled its sentinel duties and returned to its home port despite facing numerous challenges.
Bersamin added that the ship’s return was necessary to address the medical needs of the crew and conduct maintenance. Once resupplied and maintained, it will continue its mission alongside other coast guard and military assets as defenders of Philippine sovereignty.
Alexander Lopez, spokesperson for the National Maritime Commission, later cited an order from the Philippine Coast Guard stating that another vessel would immediately take over the duties previously performed by the BRP Teresa Magbanua. “We will definitely continue to deploy there,” Lopez added.
On Sunday, Chinese coast guard spokesperson Liu Dejun issued a statement confirming that the Philippine vessel 9701 had withdrawn from Sabina Shoal on September 14 and warned the Philippines to stop “adventurously infringing.”
Last week, China and the Philippines held high-level talks in China. The Philippines reiterated its position on Sabina Shoal, while China once again demanded the withdrawal of the BRP Teresa Magbanua.
Sabina Shoal is one of the disputed areas between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea using the “Nine-Dash Line,” but some areas overlap with the exclusive economic zones of countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, leading to disputes. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s sovereignty claims within the South China Sea based on the “Nine-Dash Line” lacked legal basis. China has since stated that it does not recognize this ruling.
Beijing has repeatedly demanded the Philippines to withdraw the deployment of the BRP Teresa Magbanua near Sabina Shoal and sent coast guard ships to confront Philippine vessels, sparking protests from the Philippines. In a collision incident on August 31, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship of intentionally ramming their vessel, causing damage to the BRP Teresa Magbanua. The United States subsequently condemned China’s ships for violating international law. China, at the time, rebutted by claiming that it was the Philippine ship that collided with the Chinese coast guard ship and that the Philippines should bear responsibility for the collision incident.