China claims that the Philippines delivered supplies to a warship at a contested atoll

On Thursday, China‘s coast guard announced that it permitted a Philippine civilian vessel to supply provisions to a warship that is “illegally grounded” at the Second Thomas Shoal, a contested atoll in the South China Sea. The coast guard monitored and questioned the Philippine vessel throughout its supply operation, emphasizing the need for the Philippines to collaborate with China to address the maritime situation.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing has not yet provided a response to a request for comment.

For months, China and the Philippines have exchanged criticisms regarding activities at Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within Manila’s 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea. China asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, despite competing claims from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. A 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal determined that Beijing’s claims, based on historical maps, lack validity under international law, a verdict that China does not acknowledge.