MANILA, Philippines – Foreign ministers laud the new rotation and resupply (RORE) deal aimed to deescalate tensions between the Philippines and China.

In a statement on Sunday, July 28, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Foreign Affairs chief Enrique Manalo gave counterparts a lowdown of the arrangement at the 14th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (EAS FMM) and 31st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

This is the first time that the deal – forged a week ago on July 21 – was debuted in international forums.

“The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United States welcomed the provisional agreement of the Philippines and China on the RORE missions as a positive step to manage tensions in the South China Sea,” the DFA said.

READ #DFAStatement: Foreign Ministers Support PH, China’s De-Escalation Efforts in the South China Sea.#DFAForgingAhead pic.twitter.com/eA5Qh6CNDj

— DFA Philippines ???????? (@DFAPHL) July 28, 2024

On July 27, the Philippines initially reported a successful resupply mission with “no untoward incidents” at the Ayungin Shoal. However, China’s foreign ministry claimed afterwards that the mission had given them prior notice, and that they conducted inspection of the resupply vessels – a claim that both the Philippine National Security Council (NSC) and Department of Foreign Affairs rejected.

The PH-China arrangement came a month after the China Coast Guard attacked Filipino soldiers during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal in mid-June. A series of consultations kicked off following the 9th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea on July 2.

No specific details were released, although the DFA did say that both Manila and Beijing “continue to recognize the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation and agree that the agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea.”

There have been opposing statements on the deal – with China implying that the arrangement favors them, while the Philippines maintaining that it does not compromise the country’s position.

According to a report from the Associated Press (AP), Beijing was insisting that Manila agree to stop bringing construction materials to its military outpost in Ayungin, the BRP Sierra Madre, and to inform China ahead of its resupply mission and the right to inspect Philippine vessels. AP, quoting a Philippine official, said that these provisions were not in the final deal.

Manalo hoped that China would respect the arrangement the same way the Philippines will honor it. – Rappler.com