China says Philippines sent supplies to disputed shoal

China said on Friday the Philippines had sent supplies to a warship grounded on Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.

In a separate statement, the Philippine Coast Guard said it had rotated personnel staffing the Sierra Madre and sent supplies to the vessel, which has been marooned there since 1999.

China's Coast Guard said the supply run had proceeded "with permission" to what it considers an "illegally" beached ship. The Philippine Coast Guard had no immediate response to China's claim, which it has previously made, that it had allowed the mission to proceed.

China and the Philippines have traded barbs for months over manoeuvres at Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll within Manila's 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.

"It is hoped the Philippines will honour its commitments, work with China in the same direction, and jointly manage the maritime situation," Liu Dejun, a spokesman for China's Coast Guard said in a statement about Thursday's re-supply run by the Philippines.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite overlapping claims by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

It has rejected a 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that said its claims had no legal basis.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing have also escalated over Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines after a months-long standoff in 2012.

This month, Manila introduced new maritime laws to strengthen its claims at sea, while China announced baselines around Scarborough Shoal to bolster its claims. Both countries summoned each other's ambassadors' over the moves.

On Friday, China's defence ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said the Chinese military would take "strong and resolute" measures to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and to counter "infringements and provocations," according to a ministry statement.

He made the remarks in response to questions about the Philippines' latest joint naval drills with the United States, a key ally, and other Western powers, as well as the new maritime laws.