ASEAN Beat | Security | Southeast Asia

China Coast Guard Says It Monitored Philippine Resupply Mission at Contested Shoal

Last month, Manila accused Beijing of obstructing a similar mission to resupply troops stationed aboard a grounded warship on the shoal.

A photo released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines that claims to show a China Coast Guard vessel firing a water cannon in the vicinity of Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, Aug. 20, 2025.

The China Coast Guard (CCG) said that it monitored a Philippine delivery of “living necessities” to troops stationed at Second Thomas ​Shoal yesterday, a month after the Philippines accused the CCG of obstructing a similar mission.

Manila undertakes periodic missions to resupply the small unit of marines stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded World War II-era warship that functions as the Philippines’ foothold at the contested shoal.

In a statement yesterday that was paraphrased by Xinhua, CCG spokesperson Jiang Lue said that it had “inquired and verified the Philippine vessel conducting the delivery, and monitored the entire process.” He added that the CCG “will continue to conduct law-enforcement and rights-protection operations” in the Spratly Islands and at Second Thomas Shoal, which Beijing refers to as Ren’ai Jiao.

China claims the majority of the South China Sea, including the entire Spratly archipelago, where the Philippines currently occupies nine features. In recent years, these have become the subject of a Chinese pressure campaign that has led to confrontations between the two sides, some involving the use of ramming tactics and high-pressure water cannons by the CCG.

Second Thomas Shoal has been a particular focus of Beijing’s efforts. Yesterday’s resupply mission, which has not been confirmed by Manila, came just under a month after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) accused the CCG of obstructing a resupply ​mission to the BRP Sierra Madre. The vessel was grounded on the shoal in 1999 in order to strengthen the Philippines’ claim over........

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