Philippines has withdrawn vessel illegally anchored at Xianbin Jiao: China Coast Guard

The Philippines has withdrawn its coast guard ship MRRV-9701 illegally anchored at China's Xianbin Jiao, a China Coast Guard spokesperson said on Sunday.

China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said that since April 17, the Philippine coast guard ship, MRRV-9701, had illegally anchored at China's Xianbin Jiao for nearly five months, which seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and gravely undermined regional peace and stability.

During the period, China implemented control measures on vessel 9701 in accordance with the law, which foiled the Philippines' multiple attempts to resupply the vessel, said the spokesperson.

At around 14:00 on Saturday, Philippine coast guard vessel 9701 left the lagoon of China's Xianbin Jiao, according to the spokesperson.

"We would like to make it clear to the Philippines that it should stop the media hype and refrain from carrying out any risky infringement, and that it should work with China to uphold the sanctity and effectiveness of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," said the spokesperson.

China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao, including Xianbin Jiao, and the adjacent waters, and China Coast Guard will continue to protect China's rights and enforce the laws in waters under China's jurisdiction in accordance with laws, and resolutely safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, said the spokesperson.

Philippines has withdrawn vessel illegally anchored at Xianbin Jiao: China Coast Guard

Philippines has withdrawn vessel illegally anchored at Xianbin Jiao: China Coast Guard

Philippines has withdrawn vessel illegally anchored at Xianbin Jiao: China Coast Guard

Philippines has withdrawn vessel illegally anchored at Xianbin Jiao: China Coast Guard

Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin, who wrapped up his five-day official visit to China, has praised China's progress in areas such as digital economy and green energy, saying Ireland is willing to deepen economic and trade cooperation with China in emerging sectors while enhancing cooperation on multilateral affairs.

It is Martin's first visit to China since taking office and the first by an Irish prime minister in 14 years.

Speaking during a joint interview with Chinese media outlets in Beijing, Martin spoke positively of the steady development of bilateral relations in recent years, highlighting closer people-to-people exchanges and growing ties in higher education.

"We now have a direct flight between Dublin and China and that's very important in terms of people to people. Our education links are very strong and we have many partnerships between Irish higher education institutions and Chinese higher education institutions and that's important," he said.

Martin said economic and trade ties remain a key pillar underpinning the sound development of bilateral relations.

He recalled that bilateral trade has seen exponential growth since his first visit to China 20 years ago, when he served as minister for enterprise, trade and employment.

Looking ahead, he expressed expectations for expanded cooperation with China in such emerging fields as digital economy and green transition.

"We will be embarking on a major investment in offshore renewables over the next decade. We already are in the planning process. It's a windy island, so we have a lot of wind to harness for energy. So we do see opportunities in AI as well. Ireland is a very strong location for investment, as a member of the European Union, the only English-speaking country now in the Eurozone and in the European Union. And it's a good access point to the European consumer market. We believe there's a greater opportunity for Chinese companies to locate in Ireland," he said.

As Ireland is set to assume the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of 2026, Martin said Ireland adopts a pragmatic policy towards China within the EU and stays committed to promoting a EU-China relationship framework that effectively manages differences while expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.

"What is important is that we continue to dialogue and see can we develop frameworks of agreement on the big picture. The WTO is also very important forum for resolving trade issues. Both Europe and China would acknowledge that industrial resilience, economic security issues are important issues, but that has to be balanced with an open free trade environment. So we are against tariffs. We think tariffs are ultimately damaging to the world economy," he said.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Martin paid an official visit to China from Jan 4 to 8. In addition to Beijing, he also visited Shanghai.

Irish Taoiseach sees broader cooperation with China in emerging sectors