ANKARA( WNAM MONITORING): China and the Philippines have reached a “provisional agreement” for rotation and resupply missions to a beached naval ship in the South China Sea, Manila’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), however, did not provide details on the arrangement for Manila’s resupply missions to the Sierra Madre on the Second Thomas Shoal.
In a statement, the DFA said both sides concurred that the agreement “will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” state-run Philippine News Agency reported.
“The Philippines and the People’s Republic of China have reached an understanding on the provisional arrangement for the resupply of daily necessities and rotation missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal,” it said.
Both have recognized the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation.
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese side.
The agreement followed a series of consultations with the Chinese side, ensuing discussions at the 9th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism meeting on the South China Sea on July 2.
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 there.
The maritime neighbors, China and the Philippines, have conflicting claims over the Second Thomas Shoal – also known as the Ayungin Shoal, Bai Co May, and Ren’ai Jiao – which is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims vast maritime territory in the South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line, which in 2016 The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration said has no legal basis under international law.
China says the ruling is not valid and has been in negotiations with ASEAN since 2002 for a code of conduct for the disputed sea.
The Chinese and Filipino vessels have collided several times in recent months, following which two sides made counter-diplomatic protests.
