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The Philippines has agreed with China on a “provisional arrangement” for resupplying its military outpost on a disputed South China Sea reef which has become one of the region’s most dangerous flashpoints, Manila said on Sunday.
Diplomats from the two sides reached the deal over the Philippines’ resupply missions to the Sierra Madre, a rusting warship on Second Thomas Shoal, after a series of consultations in recent weeks, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
In remarks published after midnight, China’s foreign ministry confirmed that it had agreed to “allow” humanitarian Philippine resupply missions, but also reiterated its sovereignty claim and demand Manila tow the ship away. It also repeated its condition that China conduct “on-site verification” and said it would “supervise” each resupply mission.
If the agreement holds, it could help defuse a more than year-long spiral of violence in which China’s coast guard has disrupted trips by vessels commissioned by the Philippine armed forces to send supplies to the small group of marines stationed on the reef.
In Beijing’s most violent move, its coast guard forces in June rammed Philippine vessels, boarded them, confiscated guns, and used axes to puncture Philippine boats and threaten Filipino sailors.
The clash raised concerns that the stand-off could trigger open conflict between China and the US, an ally of the Philippines which has assured Manila that their mutual defence treaty applies to Second Thomas Shoal.
The reef lies within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, giving it sole rights to its use under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing insists it has sovereignty over it, along with China’s claim over almost the entire South China Sea, but a 2016 arbitration ruling has rejected that claim.
“Both sides continue to recognise the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation,” Manila’s DFA said, adding that the agreement would “not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea”.
Observers said doubts remained over whether the agreement would succeed in de-escalating the row. “There is no sign of Beijing backing down from their determination to erode Manila’s control over Second Thomas Shoal,” said a foreign diplomat in Manila.
The Chinese government has previously claimed to have struck “gentleman’s agreements” with Philippine officials for arrangements over the Sierra Madre, but later accused Manila of reneging on those deals and continued disrupting the Philippine resupply missions violently with the use of water cannons and other blocking manoeuvres.
Philippine officials said the Chinese side had offered earlier to allow the provision of basic supplies such as food and water to the Philippine outpost under the condition that Manila notify Beijing of the missions in advance, commit to not bringing in materials to stabilise the rusting Sierra Madre, and allow Beijing to inspect the resupply vessels.
The announcement of a provisional arrangement follows talks hosted by Manila on July 2 under the two countries’ Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea.
Additional reporting by Anantha Lakshmi in Jakarta
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