On March 25, 2024, Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong had a phone call with Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Maria Theresa P. Lazaro, and lodged serious representations to the Philippines on its illegal resupply to the military vessel illegally grounded at Ren'ai Jiao and other issues.

Chen Xiaodong noted that without permission from the Chinese government, a civilian ship and two Coast Guard vessels of the Philippines intruded into the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao on March 23, in an attempt to send materials, including construction materials, to the military vessel illegally grounded at Ren'ai Jiao to build a permanent military outpost so as to achieve long-term and illegal occupation. This is a serious violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, a serious breach of the commitments made by the Philippine side, a serious infringement of China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and an undermining of peace and stability in the region. China firmly opposes this. China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao and its adjacent waters, including Ren'ai Jiao. The Philippine side has repeatedly gone back on its word and provoked incidents regarding Ren'ai Jiao, which is the fundamental reason for the repeated escalation of the situation on the ground. China once again urges the Philippines to honor its commitments, abide by the consensus, stop making infringements and provocations at sea, refrain from any unilateral actions that may complicate the situation, and earnestly return to the right track of dialogue and consultation with China to properly handle disputes. China will continue to take necessary measures in accordance with domestic and international law to firmly safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

Chen Xiaodong expressed China's solemn position on the Philippines' push for the legislation of the "Maritime Zones Act" and its infringement and provocation on Huangyan Dao and Tiexian Jiao. Chen Xiaodong noted that the Philippines is trying to invoke the illegal award of the South China Sea Arbitration to incorporate China's Huangyan Dao and most of the islands and reefs of the Nansha Qundao and related waters into the Philippine maritime zones in the form of legislation. This is bound to seriously infringe on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, escalate and expand the maritime disputes between the two countries, and jeopardize peace and stability in the South China Sea and the larger interest of bilateral relations. China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao, Nansha Qundao, including Tiexian Jiao, and their adjacent waters. The Philippine side, in disregard of China's repeated dissuasion, has frequently sent military, police and official vessels and aircraft to intrude into adjacent waters and airspace of Huangyan Dao, and has repeatedly and illegally landed on Tiexian Jiao, infringing upon China's territorial sovereignty and violating the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. China once again strongly urges the Philippine side to immediately stop the legislative process that undermines China's sovereignty and to immediately stop its maritime infringement and provocation.

Chen Xiaodong emphasized that the relations between China and the Philippines are now at a crossroads where bilateral relations would go from where, and that the Philippine side must act prudently. China once again demands that the Philippine side take China's concerns seriously, stop its wrongdoing before it is too late, and return to the right track of properly handling disputes through negotiation and consultation with China as soon as possible, so as to maintain the larger interest of bilateral relations and the peace and stability of the South China Sea with China.