MEMBERS of a military detachment stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the West Philippine Sea, March 29, 2014. — REUTERS

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES and China have agreed on a “provisional arrangement” for resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on grounded vessel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, its Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Sunday.

In a statement, the agency said the arrangement was finalized during a bilateral consultation mechanism in Manila on July 2.

“Both sides continue to recognize the need to deescalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation and agree that the agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” it said.

Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita C. Daza did not immediately reply to WhatsApp messages from reporters seeking more details on the deal.

Manila and Beijing resumed talks to ease tensions in the South China Sea after accusing each other of raising tensions in disputed shoals and reefs in the waterway.

Chinese Coast Guard forces with bladed weapons on June 17 boarded Philippine rubber boats and looted several rifles stored in gun cases, actions that Manila’s military chief Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. said only “pirates” do.

A Filipino Navy officer on a rubber boat lost his right thumb after the boat was rammed by a Chinese Coast Guard rubber boat.

The Philippines and China have agreed to set up new lines of communication to improve their handling of sea disputes after both countries resumed talks on easing tensions in the waterway, the DFA said last week.

Earlier this month, Manila signed a pact with Tokyo that eases the entry of equipment and troops for combat training, saying they want stability in the region amid growing tensions with Beijing.

Beijing maintains it has sovereignty over most of the South China Sea based on its old maps and has deployed hundreds of coast guard vessels deep into Southeast Asia to assert its claims, disrupting offshore energy and fishing activities of its neighbors including Malaysia and Vietnam.

China has refused to recognize a 2016 international arbitral ruling that voided its claims for being illegal.

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