The agreement was reached on Sunday, following a series of meetings between Filipino and Chinese diplomats in Manila and exchanges of diplomatic notes aimed at building a mutually appropriate settlement on the sandbar, which the Filipinos call Ayungin and the Chinese call Ren’ai Jiao. , without granting the territorial claims of both parties.
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Two Philippine officials who were aware of the negotiations showed the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, and the government later issued a report pronouncing the agreement without offering details.
“The two sides continue to recognize the desire to reduce tension in the South China Sea and manage their differences through discussions and consultations, and agree that the agreement will harm their respective positions in the South China Sea,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. In Manila he said. . .
China’s Foreign Ministry announced shortly after on Sunday that it had discussed with the Philippines “the control of the situation in Ren’ai Jiao and had reached a provisional agreement with the Philippines on humanitarian resupply of critical needs. “
The Philippine shipment from Unaizah on May 4, center, is hit by two Chinese Coast Guard water cannons as they attempted to enter the Second Thomas Bank in the disputed South China Sea on March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
Nor has it published the text of the agreement.
China has disputes with several governments over land and sea borders, many of which are in the South China Sea. The rare agreement with the Philippines may raise hopes that similar agreements can be reached through Beijing with other countries to confront confrontations as thorny territorial issues. remain unresolved. However, it remains to be determined whether the agreement can be effectively implemented and how long it will last.
Chinese Coast Guard and other forces used rugged water cannon and damaging blockade maneuvers to prevent Philippine Navy workers from reaching food and other materials at the Manila outpost on the sandbar of a rusting warship and stranded for a long time, the BRP Sierra Madre.
The years-long territorial standoff has worsened several times since last year.
In the worst confrontation, Chinese forces in motorboats rammed and boarded two Philippine military ships on June 17 to prevent the group of Filipino workers from moving food and other supplies, as well as weapons, to the ship’s outpost in the shoals. shallow, according to the Philippine government newspaper.
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The Chinese seized Philippine military ships and destroyed them with machetes and improvised spears. They also seized seven M4 rifles, packed in boxes, as well as other supplies. The violent clash injured several members of the Philippine Navy, one of whom lost his thumb. in a chaotic skirmish that was captured in a video and images that were later made public through the Philippine authorities.
China and the Philippines blamed others for the confrontation and asserted their own sovereign rights in court.
The United States and its main Asian and Western allies, as well as Japan and Australia, condemned China’s moves in the shoal and called for respect for the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, a key area of global industry with fishing grounds. and underwater fuel fields.
In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are grappling with separate but tense territorial disputes over the waterway, seen as a potential flashpoint and sensitive rift in the regional rivalry between the United States and China. The military has deployed ships and fighter jets for decades on what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols, which China opposes and sees as a risk to regional stability.
Washington has no territorial claims in the disputed waters, but has warned that it is obliged to protect the Philippines, its oldest best friend in Asia, if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft are attacked. army, adding the South China Sea.
One of the two Philippine officials said that on June 17 he had prompted Beijing and Manila to push for negotiations on a deal that would save Second Thomas Shoal.
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In the final meetings over the past four days, two Chinese demands that were key issues were removed from the draft agreement.
China had said in the past that it would allow the Philippines to send food, water and other essential materials to its forces stationed on the sandbar if Manila agreed not to bring structural material to the wrecked ship and to grant China control and the right to inspect. send for those fabrics, officials said.
The Philippines rejected those situations and the final agreement did not come with them, according to Philippine officials.
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