PINALAGAN ng China ang akusasyon ng Pilipinas hinggil sa diumano’y pambu-bully nito sa huli sa Ayungin Shoal.
Giit ng China, nangako ang Pilipinas na tatanggalin nito ang sumadsad na World War II-era warship noon 1999 sa Ayungin Shoal, ngunit hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nito ginagawa.
Ipinilit pa ng China na dapat huminto na ang Pilipinas sa ginagawa nitong resupply mission sa nasabing sasakyan na BRP Sierra Madre.
Sinabi ng Chinese Foreign Ministry na nangako ang Pilipinas “several times to tow it away, but has yet to act” ngunit hindi tinupad.
“Twenty-four years have passed and instead of towing it away, the Philippines has sought to repair and reinforce it on a large scale in order to permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao (tawag ng China sa Ayungin Shoal),” sabi ng ministry.
Dagdag pa nito “Philippines must not send construction materials meant for repairing and reinforcing the ‘grounded’ military vessel on a large scale.”
Nanindigan naman ang Pilipinas na walang katotohanan ang sinasabi ng China hinggil sa pangako diumano ng bansa.
Ayon kay Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the National Security Council, na walang commitment na ibinigay ang Pilipinas para tanggalin ang BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin Shoal.
Isa lang umanong “figment of imagination” ang sinasabi ng China.
“When did that commitment happen? Who gave it? It will be very difficult for us to respond to a hypothetical question on the part of China because [as] far as we’re concerned, we have not and will never sign or agree to anything that would in effect abandon our sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea,” ani Malaya.
