Beijing and Manila have reached an agreement aimed at reducing tensions surrounding the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The shoal was known as Ayungin in the Philippines and Ren’ai Jiao in China and has been a flashpoint for conflict with both nations claiming sovereignty over it.
The deal allows for the resupply of the Philippines’ military outpost on the reef represented by the grounded warship BRP Sierra Madre.
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The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that a provisional arrangement was agreed upon to manage resupply missions to the Sierra Madre.
This agreement follows frank and constructive discussions between the two countries aiming to prevent the escalation of standoffs in the contested area.
The South China Sea is a region fraught with territorial disputes involving multiple nations. China claims nearly the entire waterway under its nine-dash line policy, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
The shoal lies within the Philippine EEZ, about 200 kilometers from the island of Palawan and over 1,000 kilometers from China’s Hainan Island.
The Philippines occupies the shoal, where it has stationed troops on the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded warship used as an outpost.
The region has seen numerous confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces. The Chinese coast guard has used aggressive tactics including water cannons and ramming maneuvers to block Philippine resupply missions to the outpost.
The Sierra Madre, a World War II-era ship was deliberately grounded by the Philippines in 1999 to reinforce its territorial claims over the Second Thomas Shoal.
Since then, a small contingent of Filipino sailors has been stationed on the ship necessitating periodic resupply missions which China has often tried to block.
China confirmed the temporary arrangement but reiterated its demand for the Philippines to remove the Sierra Madre and restore the shoal to its original, unoccupied state.
Chinese Foreign Ministry stated they would allow resupply missions on humanitarian grounds provided the Philippines informs them in advance and allows on-site verification.
The Philippines while acknowledging the need to de-escalate tensions firmly stated it would continue to assert its rights and jurisdiction over the Second Thomas Shoal.
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Manila rejected China’s condition of prior notification for resupply missions addressing that their lawful operations remain unchanged under the new deal.
While the full text of the agreement has not been released, it allows humanitarian resupply missions by the Philippines.
China maintains its sovereignty claim and insists on conducting on-site verification and supervision of these missions.
The agreement was reached after intense negotiations and consultations, culminating in a series of meetings and exchanges of diplomatic notes.
If adhered to, the agreement could prevent violent confrontations which have included ramming incidents, the use of water cannons and the boarding and damaging of Philippine vessels by Chinese forces.
The agreement has been noted by international observers and has the potential to influence similar arrangements between China and other claimant nations in the South China Sea.
The US, Japan, Australia and other Western allies have condemned Chinese aggressive actions and addressed the importance of upholding international law and freedom of navigation.
In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled that China’s expansive claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.
The Philippines is allied with the United States through the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which guarantees US support in case of an armed attack on Philippine forces.
Despite offers from the US to assist in resupply missions, the Philippines has opted to handle these operations independently.
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