On July 2, the spokesperson of the China Coast Guard issued a statement on the Philippines' handling of the barges and materials of ships illegally stranded at Xianbin Reef.
Liu Dejun, a spokesman for the China Coast Guard, said that on July 1, the Philippines sent three coast guard ships to transfer personnel and materials to the 9701 coast guard ship illegally stranded at Xianbin Reef, and the China Coast Guard supervised and controlled the whole process. China has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, including Sembin Reef, and its adjacent waters. The detention of Philippine vessels at Sembin Reef violates China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, violates the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and undermines peace and stability in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard will, as always, defend and enforce the law in the waters under its jurisdiction, and resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.