China claimed on Friday that the Philippines sent supplies to an stranded warship at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, which is a disputed island.

In a separate press release, the Phlippine Coast Guard stated that it had rotated the personnel on board the Sierra Madre vessel and sent supplies.

China's Coast Guard claimed that the supply run to what they consider a "illegally" stranded ship had been carried out "with permission". The Philippine Coast Guard did not immediately respond to China's previous claim that the mission had been allowed to proceed.

China and the Philippines are engaged in a heated exchange of words over the Second Thomas Shoal atoll, which is located within Manila's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), 200 nautical miles deep in the South China Sea.

In a statement, Liu Dejun said that the Chinese Coast Guard hoped that the Philippines would honour their commitments, collaborate with China and jointly manage maritime situations.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea despite claims from Brunei and Indonesia.

Beijing has rejected the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that China's claims were without legal basis. (Reporting and editing by Clarence Fernandez; Reporting by Joe Cash)

(source: Reuters)