The Philippines yesterday carried out a resupply and rotation mission to troops on a South China Sea reef without “untoward incidents,” Manila said, more than a month after a violent clash with Chinese forces in the area.
The mission to Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) was the first since Manila and Beijing last week reached a “provisional arrangement” for the delivery of daily necessities and rotation missions for Filipino troops based on a rusty warship grounded atop the reef.
The shoal has been a focus of clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships in the past few months, sparking concern it could draw in Manila ally Washington in a conflict as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP
A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the latest confrontation on June 17, when China Coast Guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy resupply attempt.
“No untoward incidents were reported” after a civilian vessel escorted by a Philippine Coast Guard boat reprovisioned the BRP Sierra Madre and rotated troops there, a Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs statement said.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu (甘羽) confirmed that the Philippines had carried out the resupply mission “in accordance with the temporary arrangement reached between China and the Philippines.”
The two sides disagreed on the details of the mission, with a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson saying that “China had been notified of the resupply before it was carried out.”
“After confirming on-site that the Philippine vessel carried only humanitarian living necessities, the Chinese side let the Philippine vessel through,” the spokesperson said.
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Teresita Daza told reporters that Manila gave no prior notification to the Chinese side, and there was no on-site inspection of the vessels.
“We were informed the Chinese coast guard vessels were at a reasonable distance with no risk of collision,” Daza added.
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