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Enoch Wong

China has accused the Philippines of polluting the environment after it released footage it said showed troops burning rubbish at a disputed reef in the South China Sea.
The video, published on social media by state broadcaster CGTN on Saturday, showed smoke pouring from the BRP Sierra Madre, an old warship that was deliberately grounded on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999.
CGTN said marines stationed on the ship had been burning refuse and were posing “a serious threat to the ecological environment of the surrounding waters”.
It also referred to a report by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources from last year that said the “prolonged illegal grounding of the warship had severely damaged the diversity, stability and sustainability of the coral reef ecosystem”.
The Philippines has not yet responded to the claims.
The reef, known in China as Renai Reef and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines, lies about 200km (120 miles) from the Philippine island of Palawan and has been one of the main flashpoints between the two countries.
These include a 2023 incident where China intercepted resupply missions that it said were carrying construction materials for the Sierra Madre, and one last year where Beijing accused Philippine troops stationed on the ship of pointing weapons at its coastguards.
China has described the Sierra Madre, a former World War II tank-landing ship, as nothing more than an “ecological graveyard”, with its badly corroded structure at risk of disintegration.
It has repeatedly demanded that Manila remove the ship, which remains commissioned in the Philippine Navy and continues to be manned by marines as a way of asserting Manila’s claim to the reef.
Beijing is also concerned that delivering building materials to the ship will help Manila consolidate its presence there.
Last July, the two countries reached a provisional agreement to allow necessities to be delivered to the troops stationed on the ship but stark differences over the terms of the deal soon emerged.

Beijing maintained that Manila had agreed to three conditions: the eventual removal of the Sierra Madre, notification before resupply missions and on-site verification by China to ensure no construction materials were included.
However, the Philippines said the agreement had not compromised its sovereignty or granted China oversight over its operations.
Environmental analysts quoted in last year’s report from the ministry argued that the warship had been corroding for years and was leaking rust and pollutants into the surrounding waters, which had caused “irreversible harm” and widespread coral reef destruction.
It said data from satellite imaging and diver observations showed that coral coverage within 400 metres (1,300 feet) of the vessel had plummeted by nearly 90 per cent, heavy metal concentrations in the water had risen above safe levels and marine life had been adversely affected.




The report also accused Philippine personnel of dumping waste water and rubbish into the lagoon – actions that Beijing condemned as “reckless environmental destruction”.
However, neutral environmental experts have been unable to access the area to verify the information.
The Philippine national task force for the waters, which it calls the West Philippine Sea, said the accusations were a “false and a classic misdirection” aimed at diverting attention from China’s own environmental abuses.
It said Chinese fishing boats had “been found to cause irreparable damage to corals [and] untold damage to the maritime environment” and were “jeopardising the natural habitat and the livelihood of thousands of Filipino fisherfolk”.


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The footage showed thick clouds of smoke pouring from the ship. Photo: CGTN

The Philippines grounded the ship on the reef in 1999. Photo: Reuters

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Philippine’s Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo says powerful countries can “assert their own laws against weaker countries, leading to greater contention”. Photo: AFP

The presence of a dilapidated but still active Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea has been denounced as unacceptable by Beijing. Photo: AP

Fu Ying, China’s former vice-foreign minister, says China cannot agree to the Philippines to occupy the Second Thomas Shoal. Photo: Dickson Lee

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News

China

Diplomacy

State media released footage of smoke pouring from the Sierra Madre, a warship that has been grounded on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal


State media released footage of smoke pouring from the Sierra Madre, a warship that has been grounded on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.


China-Philippines relations

The Philippines