A Little Respite

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China and the Philippines reached a deal this week aimed at ending confrontations over the Second Thomas Shoal reef in the contested South China Sea, a month after the navies of both countries clashed in the disputed territory, Sky News reported.

On Sunday, the Philippines foreign ministry announced that the two “reached an understanding on the provisional arrangement” for resupply missions to the outpost. Officials added that both sides acknowledged “the need to de-escalate the situation … and manage differences through dialogue and consultation.”

The Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef around 120 miles off the western Philippine province of Palawan, is claimed by both Manila and Beijing.

In 1999, the Philippines beached the vessel BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal to reinforce its territorial claims. Since then, it has maintained a small contingent of sailors aboard the ship who require resupply missions, which China has been accused of repeatedly trying to stop, Reuters noted.

While confrontations are not uncommon, tensions escalated on June 17 when Chinese forces rammed and boarded two Philippine navy boats transferring supplies, seizing food, some weapons and other supplies. Clashes between navy personnel saw one Philippine soldier losing a thumb.

Both Manila and Beijing accused each other of the confrontation. The United States, Japan, and Australia condemned China’s actions at the shoal and called for the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

Following Sunday’s agreement, Chinese officials indicated that Beijing would allow resupply missions on humanitarian grounds as long as the Philippines does not attempt to build permanent facilities on the shoal.

Meanwhile, Philippine officials on Monday rejected any notion that they needed to notify China in advance of resupply missions, affirming their sovereignty over the maritime zones.

While both nations did not concede the other side’s territorial claims, observers hoped that the agreement could raise prospects for similar arrangements between China and other countries with territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, a critical global trade route with rich fishing areas and undersea gas deposits. Beijing’s claims have put it at odds with its neighbors, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

A Hague-based tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis, a decision that Beijing has rejected.