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MANILA: The Philippines successfully completed the resupply of its forces in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Saturday (July 27), the country’s foreign ministry said, marking the first such mission by the Philippine Navy in the region. To ease tensions, the United States and China reached a new arrangement.
The Philippines and China announced a “temporary agreement” last week for Manila to resupply Chinese troops aboard a naval vessel stranded on Second Thomas Shoal after frequent clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships sparked fears of escalating hostilities in the region.
The Philippines deliberately anchored the now-rusting former U.S. ship near Scarborough Shoal in 1999 in an attempt to claim it as its territory, and has since kept a small rotation of troops there, angering China, which has a coast guard in the area.
The Foreign Ministry said Saturday’s operation was carried out by a civilian vessel escorted by the Philippine Coast Guard without incident. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the operation.
Both the Philippines and China said the agreement would not change their positions on territorial issues.
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