Talks can ease South China Sea frictions

This is an editorial from China Daily.

While still requiring the Philippines to tow away the warship it has grounded on Ren'ai Reef and restore the original state of being uninhabited and without facilities, China has agreed to a temporary arrangement with the Philippines whereby it will allow humanitarian supplies to be delivered to the troops stationed on the vessel. But it made it categorically clear that it will not tolerate any attempts to build fixed facilities or permanent outposts on the reef.

The deal the two neighbors have reportedly reached to end the confrontations over China's Ren'ai Reef and its surrounding waters, if strictly observed, will certainly help ease tensions in the South China Sea and improve the strained relations between the two countries. However, it is up to Manila to take concrete actions to prove that it is ready to work toward those ends.

The current tensions around Ren'ai Reef were triggered by the Philippine government repeatedly trying to send large amounts of construction materials to the personnel living aboard the warship that it illegally grounded on the reef in 1999 in an attempt to build it into a permanent outpost so as to reinforce its "sovereignty claim". These provocative actions have not only violated China's sovereignty, but also run counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, whose Article 5 states that the parties should refrain from any settlement activities on the uninhabited islands and reefs.

China has long demanded that the Philippines tow away the warship and stop infringing upon its sovereignty over Ren'ai Reef and its adjacent waters. But demonstrating its humanitarian spirit, it has allowed Manila to send supplies of necessities to the personnel living on the warship, so long as the Philippines informs China in advance, and allows the China Coast Guard to monitor the resupply process with on-site verification.

This was actually part of the "gentlemen's agreement" and bilateral understanding that China and the previous Philippine administration had reached to manage their maritime disputes. This, in addition to goodwill arrangements including the one China made in 2016 for Philippine fishermen to fish in the waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Island, has for many years served to help maintain peace and stability in the disputed waters in the South China Sea. Yet the current government of the Philippines, encouraged by the United States, has taken a hostile and confrontational approach when it comes to dealing with its maritime disputes with China.

Emboldened by their Mutual Defense Treaty, under which the United States is obliged to come to its defense in the event of any conflict, the Philippines has denied having reached the previous agreements with China and taken aggressive and reckless actions in the South China Sea, such as conducting the illegal "resupply missions" to Ren'ai Reef or sending large numbers of fishing boats to trespass in the waters under China's jurisdiction. China has taken countermeasures in response to these provocative moves, including issuing new maritime regulations that allow the country's coast guard to detain foreign intruders "suspected of violating management of border entry and exit".

It is against this backdrop that a series of consultations have been conducted between Chinese and Philippine officials to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at Ren'ai Reef, and jointly manage the two sides' differences on maritime issues and work for the de-escalation of tensions in the South China Sea.

Yet given Manila's past record of reneging on its words, and Washington's plan to use the Philippines as a pawn in its geopolitical game to contain China's rise, caution must be exercised when it comes to reaffirming how well Manila will keep its promise in managing the Ren'ai Reef situation. That Manila rejected reaching any agreement over "prior notification" and verification of deliveries to the grounded warship at Ren'ai Reef in the latest deal suggests the path to a sensible and peaceful settlement to the maritime disputes between the two countries will be long and tortuous.