China and Philippines reach agreement on disputed territory

By Alimat Aliyeva

China and the Philippines have reached an agreement that they hope will end the confrontation over the most disputed area in the South China Sea - the Second Thomas Shoal, Azernews reports.

The decisive agreement was reached on Sunday after a series of meetings between Filipino and Chinese diplomats in Manila and an exchange of diplomatic notes.

"Both sides continue to recognize the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and resolve differences through dialogue and consultations, and agree that the agreement will not harm the positions of either side in the South China Sea," the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The long-standing territorial confrontation on the Second Thomas Shoal has been constantly escalating since the beginning of last year, when the Filipinos tried to deliver food to the stranded ship BRP Sierra Madre and considered an outpost of the Philippines in the region.

According to the Philippine government, during the worst clash on June 17, Chinese forces in motorboats repeatedly rammed two Philippine Navy boats and then boarded them to prevent Filipino personnel from delivering supplies, including firearms. Several members of the Philippine Navy were injured during the violent skirmish.

China and the Philippines have accused each other of confrontation, and each has claimed its own sovereign rights to the stranded, which the Filipinos call Ayungin and the Chinese call Renai Jiao.

The United States and its key Asian and Western allies, including Japan and Australia, condemned China's actions on the shoals and called for respect for the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Washington has repeatedly warned that it is obliged to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine troops come under armed attack, in particular in the South China Sea.