The deal, hashed out on Sunday by Chinese and Filipino diplomats in Manila, lays out provisional terms to replenish Filipino troops on the Second Thomas Shoal, which both countries claim as their own and where their forces have repeatedly clashed.
Announcing the deal, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said, “Both sides continue to recognize the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation.”
There was no immediate comment by China.
The shoal, which lies about 200km (124 miles) from the western Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000km (620 miles) from China’s southern Hainan island, has been a focus of clashes between the two countries in recent months.
In the worst confrontation, Chinese forces on motorboats repeatedly rammed and then boarded two Philippine navy boats on June 17 to prevent Filipino personnel from transferring food and other supplies, including firearms to the ship outpost in the shallows of the shoal, according to the Philippine government.
MNA/
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