China and the Philippines agree on a temporary plan to supply the disputed waters

The Philippines and China have “reached an agreement on a provisional agreement” on resupply missions to a floating warship in the South China Sea, according to a statement from Manila’s foreign ministry on Sunday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not disclose details of the agreement regarding supply missions to the Sierra Madre, a ship stationed at Second Thomas Shoal. The DFA stressed that this development followed “frank and constructive discussions” between the two countries during the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism earlier this month.

“Both sides continue to recognize the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage disputes through dialogue and consultation, and agree that the agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” the DFA said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila has yet to comment on the announcement.

The Philippines deliberately impounded the Sierra Madre in 1999 to bolster its territorial claims over the disputed waters around the herd, keeping a small contingent of marines on board.

Despite aid from the United States, Philippine security officials said Sunday that the resupply missions would be carried out independently.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reaffirmed US commitment to ensure its treaty ally could resupply the Sierra Madre, but his Philippine counterpart Eduardo Ano insisted the operation would remain “a clean operation of the Philippines”.

“There is no need at this time for any direct involvement of US forces in the RORE (resupply) mission,” Ano said.

Reuters previously reported that the Philippines rejected offers from the United States to help its operations in the South China Sea.

Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated, with a Philippine soldier recently injured in what Manila described as a “deliberate high-speed embolism” by China’s coast guard. Philippine military officials stressed that the country will “exhaust all means before seeking foreign intervention” in its resupply efforts.

Manila and Washington are bound by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, a pact that can be invoked in the event of an armed attack against Philippine forces, public vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea. US officials, including President Joe Biden, have reaffirmed their “ironclad” commitment to help the Philippines.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, overlapping the maritime claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. In 2016, a Hague-based court said China’s claims had no legal basis, a ruling Beijing rejected.