The Philippines foreign ministry accused China on Sunday of ‘mischaracterizing’ an arrangement between the two nations. This arrangement allowed for the unimpeded resupply of Filipino troops stationed on a beached naval vessel in the South China Sea. Following repeated clashes at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, both countries had reached a “provisional arrangement” earlier this month to facilitate resupply missions to soldiers stationed on the Sierra Madre, a naval vessel deliberately grounded by Manila in 1999 to strengthen its maritime claims.
On Saturday, Teresita Daza, the Philippines foreign ministry spokesperson, stated that the resupply mission was completed without incident while Chinese coast guard vessels maintained a “reasonable distance.” In contrast, her Chinese counterpart asserted that China’s coast guard had been notified ahead of the mission and had “let the vessel through” following an “on-the-scene confirmation.”
On Sunday, Daza responded by expressing that it was “unfortunate” that China had “mischaracterized” the resupply mission. In a statement, Daza said that the spokesperson chose to misrepresent what the Philippines and China had agreed upon, rather than acknowledging how the two countries managed their differences to avoid miscalculations and misunderstandings.
Although the Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside office hours, the authorities have not publicly released details of the arrangement between China and the Philippines. Both countries have indicated that the deal aimed to ease tensions in the waterway.
Daza further emphasized that the Philippines and China made the understanding in good faith, explicitly agreeing that it would not prejudice national positions. Additionally, the Philippines’ South China Sea task force clarified in a separate statement on Sunday that Manila did not seek Chinese permission to resupply its soldiers.