China should honor its commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) by leaving Ayungin Shoal instead of demanding that the Philippines remove the partly sunken BRP Sierra Madre from the area. “Ayungin lies inside our EEZ [exclusive economic zone] which we have sovereign rights. Our EEZ was awarded to us by the 1982 Unclos which China ratified,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Thursday. He was reacting to the Chinese foreign ministry’s statement on Wednesday demanding that Manila honor its supposed word of removing the Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal.

Acosta, R., & Talosig-Bartolome, M. (2021, November 26). 'Trespassing' China should observe Unclos-Lorenzana. Business Mirror, pp. A10, A5.