Philippine supply boats reach marines at China-guarded shoal

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a virtual plenary session of the Asean-China Special Summit in Davao City, southern Philippines, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Duterte called on China to respect the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which establishes maritime entitlements and sovereign rights over maritime zones, along with a 2016 Hague arbitration ruling that mostly invalidated China's South China Sea claims. China has refused to recognize the ruling. - AP

MANILA, Nov 23 (AP): The Philippine navy successfully transported food supplies to marines guarding a disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a week after China's coast guard used water cannons to force the supply boats to turn back, sparking outrage and warnings from Manila, officials said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the two wooden boats carrying navy personnel reached the marines stationed on a military ship at Second Thomas Shoal without any major incident. President Rodrigo Duterte expressed disgust on Monday in a regional summit led by Chinese President Xi Jinping over last week’s Chinese blockade of the supply boats.