US criticises China over interference in Philippine resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal
MANILA, Philippines — The United States (US) condemned China’s interference in a Philippine humanitarian rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea earlier this week. In a statement…
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer · September 27, 2026 at 3:02 PM · AI-assisted report
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AYUNGIN SHOAL, 27 SEPTEMBER 2026 —
MANILA — The United States condemned China’s interference with a Philippine humanitarian rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission at Ayungin Shoal on Thursday, saying the actions threatened a collision and violated freedom of navigation.
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U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton said the China Coast Guard and the People’s Liberation Army Navy carried out “irresponsible maneuvers” that endangered a Philippine vessel and forced the mission to be aborted. “We stand by our Philippine allies and laud their professionalism and restraint,” Lipton added, calling on the Chinese forces to cease “escalatory tactics that threaten the freedom of navigation and a free and open Indo‑Pacific.”
The Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that eight Chinese warships and coast‑guard vessels interfered with the supply operation, which aimed to deliver essential provisions to the crew of the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal. The interference occurred between about 8:35 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Thursday while the Philippine supply ship M/V Lapu‑Lapu, escorted by three Philippine Navy and Coast Guard vessels, was roughly 60 nautical miles from the shoal.
According to the AFP, Chinese vessels made continuous radio calls, monitored the Philippine ships and approached them closely. The Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Malabrigo was deployed to provide security assistance during the operation. The mission was called off at 11:08 p.m. for the safety of Philippine personnel.
China continues to assert a claim over nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim that overlaps with the Philippines’ maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal ruled that China’s “nine‑dash line” has no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected while Manila has repeatedly affirmed it as final and binding.
The U.S. statement underscores Washington’s support for Manila’s navigation rights and signals heightened diplomatic pressure on Beijing amid ongoing disputes in the region. The Philippine government has not issued a separate comment on the U.S. remarks.
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