Philippine government personnel transported food and other supplies Saturday to a fiercely disputed shoal occupied by a Filipino navy contingent but closely guarded by Beijing's forces in the South China Sea and no confrontations were reported, Philippine officials said.
It was the first Philippine government supply trip to the Second Thomas Shoal, which has been the scene of increasingly violent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces, since the Philippines and China reached a deal a week ago to prevent clashes, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said in a statement.
"The lawful and routine rotation and resupply mission within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone is a credit to the professionalism of the men and women of the Philippine navy and the Philippine coast guard and the close coordination among the National Security Council, Department of National Defense and the Department of Foreign Affairs," the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said, without providing other details.
Chinese officials did not immediately issue any comment.
The deal was reached by the Philippines and China after a series of meetings between the two country's diplomats in Manila and exchanges of diplomatic notes aimed to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at the shoal - which Filipinos call Ayungin and the Chinese call Ren'ai Jiao - without conceding either side's territorial claims, Philippine officials said.
