Philippines, China ‘provisional agreement’ over Second Thomas Shoal subject to future review, official says

By Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores

MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines and China’s “provisional agreement” on resupply missions for troops on a South China Sea shoal, the site of numerous clashes between the two, may be subject to future review, a foreign ministry official said on Tuesday.

The comment comes as tensions have risen in the past week between the two countries in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, where in the latest incident Manila said a Chinese aircraft dropped flares in the path of its military aircraft.

The two countries came to an arrangement last month after multiple standoffs at the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines in 1999 grounded a navy vessel and maintains a small number of troops on it to prop up its maritime claims.

The arrangement only covers resupply missions in the Second Thomas Shoal and not the other disputed features in the South China Sea.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said the understanding with China did not compromise the country’s South China Sea position and the arrangement may be re-evaluated if needed.

“The review will be there. When that will be is subject to further discussion,” Lazaro told Reuters at the sidelines of a congressional hearing.

Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo told lawmakers the Philippines will honour the provisional understanding and expects China to do the same.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Philippines completed its resupply mission unimpeded on July 27 following the deal with China.

However the situation around the South China Sea’s Scarborough Shoal, one of Asia’s most contested sites, remains fraught.

The Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch with a lagoon that provides shelter for vessels during storms, is located inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been occupied by China for more than a decade.

The Philippine Navy said on Tuesday that last week’s actions by the Chinese air force over the disputed shoal were “coercive, aggressive and deceptive”.

The Philippines has been incensed by what it saw as a dangerous manoueuvre by two Chinese aircraft, which it said dropped flares in the path of its military aircraft while conducting a routine patrol over the contested shoal on Thursday.

The actions had no place in the international arena, which is governed by international law, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad told a briefing, adding China’s conduct raised the risk of untoward incidents.

China, which also claims sovereignty over the shoal, has disputed that saying it acted in a professional and legal manner.