The Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday, July 21 that Manila and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have “reached an understanding on the provisional arrangement” for resupply missions to a beached naval vessel located in a part of the South China Sea that Beijing claims as its territorial waters.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not provide details on the arrangement for the Philippines’ missions on the Second Thomas Shoal, even though it said it followed “frank and constructive discussions” between the two sides earlier this month.
“Both sides continue to recognize the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation and agree that the agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” the DFA said.
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The PRC Foreign Ministry confirmed the “temporary arrangement” with the two sides agreeing to jointly manage maritime differences and de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea.
“The Chinese side still demands that the Philippine side tow away the ship and restore the original status of (Second Thomas Shoal) as if it were unmanned and without facilities,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement released early on Monday.
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Manila deliberately beached the Philippine naval ship in 1999 to reinforce its claims over disputed waters around the shoal and it has since maintained a small contingent of sailors settled there.
China continues to claim nearly the entire South China Sea in defiance of international territorial norms as well as the fact that several other countries, such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia have overlapping claims to parts of the sea, which is a critical route for shipping.
The PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that Beijing “will never accept it” if Manila “transports a large amount of building materials to the ship and tries to build fixed facilities and permanent outposts” and considers such action to be a violation of Chinese sovereignty.
Philippine security officials said on Sunday they will carry out the resupply missions on their own, despite an offer from the United States for help.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday, July 19, the U.S. “will do what is necessary” to ensure its treaty ally can resupply the Sierra Madre on the Second Thomas Shoal.
Sullivan’s Filipino counterpart, Eduardo Ano, said the resupply will remain “a pure Philippine operation.”
Reuters previously reported that the Philippines turned down offers from the U.S. to assist its operations in the South China Sea.
Tensions in the disputed waterway have boiled over into violence in the past year, with a Filipino soldier losing a finger last month in a clash that Manila described as an “intentional-high speed ramming” by the China Coast Guard.
The Philippine military’s spokesperson said in a separate statement the Philippines “will exhaust all means before seeking foreign intervention”.
Manila and Washington are bound by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, a pact that can be invoked in case of an armed attack against Philippine forces.
U.S. officials including President Joe Biden have affirmed its “ironclad” commitment to the Philippines.
Manila also recently signed a mutual defense treaty, the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), with Japan. The agreement allows both countries to station troops on each other’s territory for training and military operations.
Reuters contributed to this report.
