Politics Philippines and China reach agreement in conflict over disputed reef
The Philippines and China have reached a "preliminary" agreement to avoid further confrontation over a disputed reef in the South China Sea. According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, the agreement was finalized after a series of consultations in Manila.
21.07.2024, 14:45
SDA
The disputed reef is the so-called Second Thomas Submergence about 200 kilometers west of the Philippine island of Palawan within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Philippine troops are stationed there on a ship called "BRP Sierra Madre", which has been stranded since 1999. The ship marks the Philippines' territorial claim to this area.
Previously, there had been repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese ships during supply missions to the "BRP Sierra Madre". The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has now announced that both sides have reached a temporary agreement on the supply of the ship. No details were disclosed.
There has been a dispute between Beijing and Manila for decades over the resource-rich area of widely scattered reefs and islands west of the Philippines and far south of China. The countries' patrolling coast guards regularly hold dangerous maneuvers there. China claims practically the entire South China Sea for itself, which the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague has rejected. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim territories there.
