The Philippines says it has “reached an agreement” with China on a resupply mission to a stranded Philippine navy ship in the South China Sea, a key point of contention between the two countries.
China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed an “interim arrangement” in which the two countries agreed to jointly manage disputes over maritime issues and de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea.
Manila deliberately ran the naval ship Sierra Madre aground in 1999 to shore up its claims to the disputed waters around Second Thomas Reef. Since then, the vessel has been carrying a small number of sailors on resupply missions that China has repeatedly been accused of trying to block.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not provide details of the “tentative arrangement” agreed on Sunday for the resupply mission to Sierra Madre, but said it was the result of “frank and constructive consultations” between the two sides earlier this month.
“Both sides continue to recognise the need to ease the situation in the South China Sea and manage their differences through dialogue and consultation, and agree that any agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” the ministry said.
China’s foreign ministry confirmed the arrangement, adding that “the Chinese side still demands that the Philippine side to tow the ship and return it to its original state.” [Second Thomas Shoal] “It appeared as if the facility was deserted and unequipped,” a spokesman said in a statement early Monday.
“If the Philippines needs to provide supplies to the crew of the stranded warship before towing it away, the Chinese side is ready to allow the Philippine side to transport and provide them on humanitarian grounds,” the spokesman said.
China has maintained its sovereignty claims over the disputed waters.
“If the Philippines attempts to bring large amounts of building materials on the ship to build fixed facilities and permanent bases, China will never accept it and will resolutely block it in accordance with laws and regulations to safeguard China’s sovereignty,” the spokesman added.
Philippine security officials also said Sunday that they would carry out the resupply mission on their own, despite offers of help from the United States.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday that the U.S. would “do what is necessary” to help its treaty ally resupply the Sierra Madre at Second Thomas Shoal. Sullivan’s aide to the Philippines, Eduardo Año, said the resupply would remain “purely a Philippine operation.”
“At this time, there is no need for U.S. military direct involvement in RORE. [resupply] “This is a mission,” Ano said in a statement.
Reuters previously reported that the Philippines had rejected a US offer to assist with operations in the South China Sea.
Tensions in the disputed waterway have escalated into violence over the past year, with a Philippine soldier last month losing a finger in what Manila described as a “deliberate high-speed collision” by the Chinese Coast Guard.
Manila and Washington are bound by a 1951 mutual defense treaty that can be invoked in the event of an armed attack on Philippine forces, public vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea. President Joe Biden has voiced his “ironclad” commitment to support the Philippines.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping with maritime claims held by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. In 2016, a Hague-based arbitral tribunal ruled that China’s claims had no legal basis, a ruling rejected by Beijing.
