close
close
MACAU DAILY TIMES 澳門每日時報China, Philippines reach deal in bid to stop clashes

MACAU DAILY TIMES 澳門每日時報China, Philippines reach deal in bid to stop clashes

CHina and the Philippines have reached an agreement that will hopefully end clashes at the most controversial sandbank in the South China Sea, the Philippine government said yesterday.

The Philippines occupies Second Thomas Shoal, but China also claims it. Moreover, the increasingly violent fighting at sea has led to fears of larger conflicts that could also involve the United States.

The crucial agreement was reached yesterday after a series of meetings between Philippine and Chinese diplomats in Manila and the exchange of diplomatic notes aimed at establishing a mutually acceptable settlement on the shoal without giving up either side’s territorial claims.

Two Philippine officials with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The government later issued a brief statement announcing the deal, without providing details.

“Both sides continue to recognize the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation. They agree that the agreement will not harm each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in Manila.

Neither side has yet released the text of the agreement.

China has disputes with several governments over land and maritime borders, many of which lie in the South China Sea, and the rare deal with the Philippines could raise hopes that similar arrangements could be forged by Beijing with other rival countries to avoid clashes while leaving thorny territorial issues unresolved. However, it remains to be seen whether the deal can be successfully implemented and how long it will last.

The Chinese coast guard and other forces used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers to prevent food and other supplies from reaching Philippine naval personnel at the Manila outpost near the shoal.

The years-long territorial standoff at the shoal has flared up repeatedly since last year between Chinese Coast Guard vessels, Navy vessels and suspected militia and navy boats escorted by the Philippine Coast Guard carrying food, water and fresh Navy and Marine personnel to an outpost on a rusting, long-grounded warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.

During the worst of the conflict on June 17, Chinese forces on motorboats repeatedly rammed and then boarded two Philippine navy boats to prevent Filipino personnel from bringing food and other supplies, including firearms, to the shipping station in the shallows of the shoal, the Philippine government said.

After repeated ramming, the Chinese seized the Philippine navy boats and damaged them with machetes and improvised spears. They also seized seven M4 rifles, which were packed in suitcases, and other supplies. The violent confrontation left several Philippine navy personnel injured, including one who lost his thumb, in a chaotic melee captured on video and photos later made public by Philippine officials.

China and the Philippines blamed each other for the confrontation, each claiming their own sovereign rights over the shoal, which the Filipinos call Ayungin and the Chinese Ren’ai Jiao.

The United States and its key Asian and Western allies, including Japan and Australia, condemned China’s actions at the shoal and called for upholding the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, a key global trade route with rich fishing grounds and undersea gas reserves.

In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are embroiled in separate but increasingly tense territorial disputes in the waterway, which is seen as a potential flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the regional rivalry between the U.S. and China. The U.S. military has for decades deployed naval vessels and fighter jets in what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols, which China opposes and sees as a threat to regional stability.

Washington has no territorial claims in the disputed waters but has repeatedly warned that it has a duty to defend the Philippines, the country’s oldest treaty partner in Asia, if Philippine troops, ships or aircraft are targeted in an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

One of the two Philippine officials said the June 17 confrontation prompted Beijing and Manila to accelerate on-and-off talks on a settlement that would avoid confrontations at Second Thomas Shoal.

During the last meetings over the past four days, two Chinese demands that had been a major stumbling block were removed from the draft agreement.

China had previously said it would allow the Philippines to transport food, water and other basic supplies to its troops in the shallows, on the condition that Manila would not take building materials to reinforce the crumbling ship and that it would give China advance notice and the right to inspect the ships for the materials, the officials said.

According to the Philippine official, the Philippines rejected these conditions and they were not included in the final agreement. JIM GOMEZ, MANILA, MDT/AP