MANILA — The Philippines says a Chinese warship has entered an area it claims in the South China Sea and has run aground on a shoal, as tensions continue between the two countries over a separate territorial dispute. Foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Saturday that Manila wants Beijing to explain why the Chinese frigate became stuck on Half Moon Shoal, about 110 km from the western province of Palawan. Defense department spokesman Peter Paul Galvez says a military aircraft spotted six other Chinese ships near the stricken vessel. “During the aerial reconnaissance mission, they were able to confirm, based on photographs, that there is indeed a ship with bow number 560 aground at Half Moon Shoal," he said. He said five more vessels and a number of smaller boats were assisting the grounded ship. A navy ship and a coast guard vessel had been dispatched to the area to monitor the Chinese operations, he added. He stressed that the shoal was just 60 nautical miles from the western Philippine island of Palawan, well within the country's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as recognised by international law. Foreign Department spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a statement, “we need to find out what really happened with the Chinese frigate in our territory". He reiterated that the Philippines would provide assistance to move the ship if China requested it. The Chinese government earlier confirmed that the ship was on “routine patrol" when it became stranded near Half Moon Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Wednesday evening. — Agencies
