THE country said it carried out a resupply and rotation mission to troops on a South China Sea reef without “untoward incidents”, more than a month after a violent clash with Chinese forces in the area.
It said the mission to Second Thomas Shoal on Saturday was the first since Manila and Beijing reached a “provisional arrangement” last week 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 recent months.
A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the latest confrontation on June 17, when Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy resupply attempt.
“No untoward incidents were reported” after a vessel escorted by a Philippine Coast Guard boat reprovisioned the BRP Sierra Madre and rotated troops there on Saturday, a Philippine foreign department statement said.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu confirmed that the Philippines had carried out a resupply mission “in accordance with the temporary arrangement reached between China and the Philippines”.
The two sides disagreed on the details of the mission, however, with China saying prior notification was given and on-site inspections of the provisions took place.
Philippine foreign department spokeswoman Teresita Daza said Manila gave no prior notification to China, and there was no on-site inspection of the vessels.
The shoal lies about 200km from the Philippine island of Palawan and over 1,000km from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan island. — AFP
