Philippines Says It Reached Deal With China To Avoid Clashes at Disputed Shoal

The Philippines said on Sunday that it reached a deal with China to reduce tensions around Second Thomas Shoal, a Philippine-occupied reef in the South China Sea that’s also claimed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

Manila did not disclose any details about the deal but said it would allow the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era ship the Philippines grounded on the reef in 1999 and uses as a base of operations for the area.

China has been blocking Philippine vessels attempting to resupply the ship, and sometimes the encounters lead to collisions. In some instances, the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons at the Philippine boats.

The incidents risk major escalation since the US is strongly backing the Philippines in the dispute and has repeatedly warned attacks on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea apply to the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty. That means if the Chinese and Philippine boats start shooting at each other, the US could intervene and be in direct conflict with China.

The encounters in the South China Sea became much more frequent after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came into office in June 2022. Emboldened by the US, he pushed hard against China’s claims to the waters and broke from the Beijing-friendly policies of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Earlier this year, China released the details of what it said was an unwritten agreement between Manila and Beijing over Second Thomas Shoal and other hotspots in the South China Sea. Duterte had acknowledged that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to maintain the “status quo” to avoid war.

Part of that status quo was the Philippines not delivering construction materials to the BRP Sierra Madre, only food, water, and other basic supplies. China has made that demand in recent negotiations, along with the demand to be able to inspect boats making the deliveries, but a Philippine official told AP that Manila had not conceded to that as part of the new agreement.