On March 5, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines lodged representations with the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and expressed strong protests over the illegal trespassing on Ren’ai Jiao by Philippine vessels on that day. The Embassy pointed out that the relevant Philippine vessels intruded into the waters adjacent to the Ren’ai Jiao of China’s Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government, attempting to deliver supplies, including construction materials to the warship that is illegally “grounded” on the Ren’ai Jiao. China Coast Guard took necessary regulatory actions on the Philippine vessels in accordance with the law. The response of China Coast Guard was professional, restrained, reasonable and lawful. China’s position on the issue of the Ren’ai Jiao is consistent and clear. Over the past few months, China and the Philippines maintained communication on properly managing the situation on the Ren’ai Jiao. The Philippines has once again reneged on its commitments to China, provoked incidents in the waters off the Ren’ai Jiao, and seriously violated China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. China once again urges the Philippines to stop maritime provocations and refrain from taking any actions that may complicate the maritime situation. China will continue to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with domestic and international law.