China and the Philippines have reached a deal they hope will end confrontations at a fiercely contested atoll in the South China Sea.
“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,” the Philippine Foreign Ministry said Sunday, using the Filipino name for Second Thomas Shoal.
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The Philippines occupies the Second Thomas Shoal, but China also claims it.
Hostile maritime confrontations
Increasingly tense maritime confrontations over the shoal have raised concerns about a potential broader conflict that may involve the United States due to as mutual defense pact with the Philippines.
A small number of Filipino soldiers are stationed on a deliberately beached old warship on the shoal.
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Chinese Coast Guard and other forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers to prevent food and other supplies from reaching the military personnel at Manila’s outpost at the shoal.
“Both sides continue to recognize the need to deescalate 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 Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.
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China has not yet publicly said anything about the deal.
The Second Thomas Shoal lies about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the western Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan Island.
The United States and its key Asian and Western allies, including Japan and Australia, condemned the Chinese acts at the shoal and called for the rule of law and freedom of navigation to be upheld in the South China Sea.
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De-escalation elsewhere in the South China Sea
Beijing claims almost the entire waterway with its so-called nine-dash line, which overlaps the exclusive economic zones of rival claimants Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China’s claim in the strategic waters.
But Beijing refused to accept the ruling.
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The deal with the Philippines could spark hope that Beijing could forge similar arrangements with other rival countries to avoid clashes while thorny territorial issues remain unresolved.
However, it remains to be seen if the deal could be implemented successfully and how long it will last.
