File image used for representative purpose only
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A senior U.S. military official warned his Chinese counterpart against Beijing’s “dangerous” moves in the South China Sea during the first talks of their kind between the commanders.

Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of self-ruled Taiwan and China’s increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions.

Editorial |Competition and conflict: On the U.S.-China relationship 

But they have sought to re-establish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.

Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Wu Yanan, head of the Chinese army’s Southern Theater Command talked via video call on Tuesday China time.

Mr. Paparo “underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the US military and the PLA,” a statement from his command said.

“Such discussions between senior leaders serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation,” he said.

But he also raised recent “unsafe interactions with U.S. allies” by the Chinese side.

Mr. Paparo “urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond,” the statement said, referring to the Chinese military by its official name.

Mr. Wu’s Southern Theater Command is responsible for the Beijing military’s activities in the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have engaged in a series of high-profile confrontations with Philippine ships in recent months.

China claims almost all of the economically vital body of water despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

This month, Beijing insisted it was defending its “rights” in the waters, after the Philippines released footage appearing to show a Chinese coast guard vessel ramming one of its ships during an at-sea confrontation.

‘In-depth’ talks

Beijing’s readout of the talks said that Wu held “an in-depth exchange of views” with his U.S. counterpart.

The two officials discussed “issues of common concern”, it added.

The talks were the first of their kind since China scrapped military communications with the United States in 2022 in response to then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

Tuesday’s high-level military dialogue between the geopolitical rivals comes on the heels of the first visit to China by a U.S. national security advisor since 2016.

Top White House aide Jake Sullivan visited Beijing last month, where he held talks with senior army official Zhang Youxia.

Mr. Sullivan’s meeting with Zhang saw the officials agree to hold a call between the two sides’ theatre commanders in the near future, the White House said.

The top aide also raised the importance of “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea and “stability” in the Taiwan Strait, Washington said.

Mr. Zhang, in turn, warned that the status of the self-ruled island was “the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations”.

“China demands that the US halts military collusion with Taiwan, ceases arming Taiwan, and stops spreading false narratives related to Taiwan,” Mr. Zhang added.

He also asked the U.S. to “work with China to promote communication and exchanges between the two militaries and jointly shoulder the responsibilities of major powers”.

The US has deployed its new long-range air-to-air missile that could potentially disrupt the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific in the US-China ‘Cold War’. The AIM-174B missile, onboard the US Navy’s F-18 Super Hornet, as seen in many pictures, is known to have an operational range of approximately 400 km.

The AIM-174B derivative of the Raytheon SM-6 surface-to-air missile operated out of US naval platforms. The SM-6 is a multi-role missile used for anti-air warfare, anti-ballistic missiles, and anti-surface warfare.

The AIM-174B was reportedly first spotted during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world’s largest naval exercise with 26 participants. The missile was attached to a hardpoint under the wings of the Super Hornet, garnering attention due to its potential to disrupt the balance of power in the air.

All About AIM-17B

Air Interceptor Missile (AIM)-174B is the air-to-air version of the SM-6 missile. It is readily available due to the existing production line for the SM-6 missile. The Raytheon SM-6 missile has a booster stage, which propels the missile into the air, followed by a solid rocket booster and sustainer motor of the missile work to hit the target.

The SM-6 weighs around 1,500 kilograms, while the AIM-174 weighs approximately 850 kg due to no booster motor. The US Navy’s new missile has a speed of Mach 3.5, i.e. 3.5 times the speed of sound. The missile is considered to be a direct equivalent of the Russian Rh-37 Vympel long-range hypersonic air-to-air missile with a range of 400 km and the Chinese PL-15 long-range missile has a range of 300-350 km.

China PLA Navy has reportedly deployed an advanced version of PL-15, the PL-17 missile, with a range of 400 km. The last dedicated long-range air-to-air missile the US Navy had was the AIM-54 Phoenix for the F-14 Tomcat. The fighter jet and the missile were out of service in 2004.

Why air-to-air missiles in the age of stealth fighters?

The US and China are extensively building new generation stealth fighter jets that can evade enemy radars by going undetected and striking inside their territory. The US began with the F-117 Nighthawk fighter bomber, then the F-22 Raptor and now the F-35, the most advanced fighter jet in the world.

China is not behind with its Chengdu J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.

When stealth fighters can avoid detection, then why are nations focusing on long-range air-to-air missiles? The answer is fear. China developed the PL-15 long-range missile, which can be deployed on the J-20, meaning, now a stealth fighter can strike targets from far away without getting detected. Recently, the PL-17 was deployed on its J-16 fourth-generation fighter. China’s move shifted the balance of power in the air in the volatile region of East Asia.

A stealthy Chinese aircraft could theoretically spot non-stealthy U.S. aircraft and shoot them down well outside the range where they could even fight back, Reuters reported, quoting Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center.

Even US stealth aircraft might be forced to fly dangerously close to fire their missiles. “If a Chinese fighter can outrange an American fighter, it means they can get the first shot,” she said. “It’s hard to outrun something that’s travelling at Mach 4.”

The AIM-174B was quickly developed to address this need. Now, US fighter jets can target Chinese military installations from long range, avoiding the danger of flying close to the targets.

Justin Bronk, an airpower and technology expert at London’s Royal United Services Institute, told Reuters that China is developing long-range missiles, but the radar of launching aircraft may not be able to spot targets at such distances. “If you go too big and too heavy on missiles, then you end up trading off fuel,” he said.

An Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft acts as an aerial command centre during combat, and combat patrol missions. These aircraft detect the enemy from long range. The new missiles will be tasked to strike high-value targets like the AWACs as well.

The Island Chains

A potential direct military face-off between the US and China could happen near the South China Sea, a major transit route for maritime trade and the US Navy. China has threatened Taiwan with a military invasion and in the event of a full-blown Chinese assault, the US is bound by law to defend Taiwan.

The Taiwan Relations Act mandates that the US have a policy to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character”.

American Foreign Policy statesman John Foster Dulles presented the Island Chain Strategy to keep a check on USSR and Chinese expansion by establishing military bases on the West Pacific. The USSR collapsed in 1991, but the Chinese economic and military expansion made the strategy important.

It works on several lines of defence for the US to stop any military invasion. The strategy has its roots in World War II when Imperial Japan took over most of East Asia and attacked Pearl Harbour, effectively bringing the US to the war.

Any military conflict around the South China Sea will fall within the First Island Chain, which comprises the Kuril Island, claimed by Japan but under Russian control, the Japanese archipelago, Taiwan, the north Philippines, and Borneo.

The First Island Chain is an important geopolitically important boundary for the US area with vast amounts of natural resources and economic significance. Any conflict would mean the US operating close to China.

The US would come even closer to China if Beijing invaded Taiwan. An AIM-174B missile would keep its aircraft carriers and fighter jets at a safer distance and put PLA hunting ships and aircraft carriers out of range. Reuters reported quoting a Taiwan-based strategist that this would increase the likelihood of the US directly getting involved in a military conflict with China over Taiwan.

The game-changer missile would push the US further into the South China Sea region therefore titling the equation, which as of now remains in China’s favour.

India And Its Air-to-Air Missile Arsenal

India has developed the Astra Mk1 beyond visual range air-to-air missile that is operational and mounted on the Su-30MKI fighter jet. The Astra Mk1 has a speed of Mach 4.5 with a range of 100 kilometres. The Astra Mk2 and Mk3 are under trial but are far behind what the US and China have.

The use of extremely long-range BVR missiles is based on the requirements of the Indian Air Force or Indian Navy unlike the US and China. The Astra Mk1 is operational on Su-30MKI so at present only the IAF operates the missile but later it will be developed for other aircraft too. India operates the Russian Novator KS-172 and the French MICA air-to-air missile.

This frame grab from handout video footage taken and released on August 25, 2024 by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows a Chinese coast Guard ship (right) in a collision with the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Datu Sanday, near Sabina Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
| Photo Credit: AFP/PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

China’s actions in the South China Sea are “patently illegal”, the Philippines’ defence secretary said on Monday (August 26, 2024) following a clash in disputed waters on Sunday (August 25, 2024) over what Manila said was a resupply mission for fishermen.

“We have to expect these kinds of behaviour from China because this is a struggle. We have to be ready to anticipate and to get used to these kinds of acts of China which are patently illegal as we have repeatedly said,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters.

Manila’s South China Sea task force accused Chinese vessels of ramming and using water canons near Sabina shoal against a Philippine fisheries vessel transporting food, fuel and medicine for Filipino fishermen.

The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine vessel “ignored repeated serious warnings and deliberately approached and rammed” China’s law enforcement boat, resulting in a collision.

Asked if the latest incident would trigger treaty obligations between the United States and the Philippines, Teodoro said: “That is putting the cart before the horse. Let us deter an armed attack, that is the more important thing.”

U.S. officials including President Joe Biden have reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to aid the Philippines against armed attacks on its vessels and soldiers in the South China Sea.

“Everybody is too focused on armed attack, let’s make ourselves strong enough so that does not happen,” Teodoro said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Monday is a public holiday in the Philippines.

The clash on Sunday had overshadowed efforts to rebuild trust and better manage disputes in the South China Sea after months of confrontations.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei.

An international arbitral tribunal in 2016 ruled that China’s claim had no basis under international law, a decision Beijing has rejected.

Representational image of a fisherman raising a Philippine flag on his boat in the South China Sea | Photo Credit:
| Photo Credit: AP

China’s coast guard said it rescued Filipino “personnel” who fell overboard on Sunday (August 25, 2024) after a Philippine vessel collided with one of its ships near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

The two nations have had repeated confrontations in the waters in recent months, and on Saturday (August 24) Manila accused China of recently twice firing flares at one of its patrol aircraft.

China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said Sunday’s collision occurred when a Philippines vessel refused to comply with “control measures” near Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands — using the Chinese names for the Sabina Shoal and the Spratly Islands also claimed by Manila.

It then “deliberately collided” with a Chinese Coast Guard ship, CCTV quoted Gan as saying, adding China had “promptly rescued the Philippine personnel who fell into the water”.

It was unclear if “personnel” meant one or more people, and no further details were given.

“China warns the Philippines to immediately cease its infringing actions, otherwise the Philippines will bear all consequences resulting from this situation,” Mr. Gan warned.

On Saturday the Philippines accused China of firing flares at one of its aircraft earlier this month as it patrolled the South China Sea.

On Monday both countries also reported a collision between their coast guard ships near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometres (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometres from Hainan island, the closest Chinese landmass.

Manila said that was the first hostile action by Beijing against it near Sabina, where both sides have stationed coast guard vessels in recent months and where the Philippines fears China is about to build an artificial island.

China claims almost the entire sea and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis.

It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarised to reinforce its claims.

Beijing, China:

China’s Coast Guard said a Philippine vessel that had ignored its repeated warnings “deliberately collided” with a Chinese vessel in an “unprofessional and dangerous” manner in the disputed South China Sea, according to statements on Monday.

A short video of the incident posted on China Coast Guard’s social media showed the collision happened around 3:24 a.m. on Monday (1924 GMT on Sunday) and labelled the Chinese vessel as a Coast Guard vessel.

In one of the statements, China’s maritime security said the same Philippine vessel then entered waters near Second Thomas Shoal after being prevented from entering Sabina Shoal waters.

Two Philippine Coast Guard vessels “illegally intruded” into waters adjacent to Sabina Shoal without permission in the early hours of Monday, according to the China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu.

“The Philippines has repeatedly provoked and caused trouble, violated the temporary arrangements between China and the Philippines,” Gan said, referring to the Philippines’ supply missions to a vessel grounded on Second Thomas Shoal.

A Philippines Coast Guard spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China’s Coast Guard said it took control measures against the Philippine ships in accordance with the law in the incidents early Monday, and warned the Philippines to “immediately stop infringement and provocation” or “bear all consequences”.

China and the Philippines reached a “provisional agreement” in July after repeated altercations near the Second Thomas Shoal. China has been sharply criticised by Western nations for aggression in blocking Philippine efforts to resupply troops aboard a navy ship it intentionally grounded 25 years ago.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, including both shoals, rejecting a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Beijing’s expansive claims had no basis under international law.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

“We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hype,” Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army statement said. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The Philippine military on Saturday accused China’s air force of “dangerous and provocative actions” against one of its planes patrolling over a disputed South China Sea reef.

Two China air force aircraft “executed a dangerous manoeuvre at around 9:00 a.m. and dropped flares in the path of our NC-212i,” armed forces chief General Romeo Brawner said in a statement, recounting the alleged incident on Thursday “over” Scarborough Shoal.

He said the Chinese action “endangered the lives of our personnel undertaking maritime security operations,” adding that the pilot and crew were unharmed and “safely returned” to a northern Philippines air base.

China defended its operations on Saturday, saying it had “organised naval and air forces to lawfully… (drive) away” the Philippine plane, following “repeated warnings”, according to a statement by the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army.

The statement did not say what specific actions China took, describing its operations as “professional, standard, legitimate and legal”.

“We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hype,” the statement said, adding that “China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) and adjacent waters”.

The incident is the latest in an increasingly tense confrontation between Manila and Beijing, which claims most of the South China Sea and seized the shoal after a 2012 standoff with the Philippines.

In June, the Philippine military said one of its sailors lost a thumb in a confrontation off Second Thomas Shoal, in another area of the South China Sea, when the Chinese coastguard also confiscated or destroyed Philippine equipment including guns.

Beijing has blamed the escalation on Manila and maintains its actions to protect its claims are legal and proportional.

Following the Second Thomas Shoal clash, the two countries agreed on a “provisional arrangement” for resupplying Filipino troops based on a decrepit warship grounded atop the reef, and also to increase the number of communication lines to resolve disputes in the waterway.

The Chinese air force action Thursday took place a day after China carried out a combat patrol near the flashpoint reef to test the “strike capabilities” of its troops.

‘Provocative actions’

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims of several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, is 240 kilometres (150 miles) west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometres from the nearest major Chinese land mass of Hainan.

Brawner said the Philippine military “strongly condemns the dangerous and provocative actions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force that endangered the lives of our personnel undertaking maritime security operations recently within Philippine maritime zones”.

“The incident posed a threat to Philippine Air Force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction, and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation,” he added.

A Philippine military spokesman told AFP the Chinese aircraft involved in the incident were “MRF”, an abbreviation for multi-role fighter jets.

The Indonesia-built NC-212i is a multi-role turboprop plane designed for maritime surveillance, troop transport, medical evacuation and “special mission”, according to the manufacturer’s website.

Vientiane (Laos):

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday stressed the need for a substantive and effective code of conduct to secure sea lines of communication in the South China Sea which he said are critical for peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, amidst growing concerns about China’s maritime coercion.

Addressing the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Laos’s capital Vientiane, Mr Jaishankar said the EAS process will complete two decades next year and India will contribute towards a stronger EAS process.

He said India will continue to uphold ASEAN unity and centrality through our Act East Policy.

Talking about maritime security, Mr Jaishankar said: the “Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) passing through the South China Sea are critical for peace, stability, prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region.” SLOC is a term describing the primary maritime routes between ports, used for trade, logistics and naval forces.

The “Code of Conduct should be substantive and effective, consistent with international law and should not prejudice legitimate rights and interest of nations not party to discussions,” he said.

Mr Jaishankar’s comments hold significance as his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi is also in Vientiane to attend the summit.

The resource-rich South China Sea in the Indo-Pacific region is widely seen as a potential flashpoint for global conflict.

China claims most of the South China Sea as its own, while The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the maritime area.

The South China Sea provides shipping routes connecting Northeast Asia with Southeast Asia and West Asia.

Southeast Asian countries are trying to reach an agreement with China on a code of conduct to avert confrontations in the South China Sea.

At the meeting, Mr Jaishankar also called for de-escalation and restraint in Gaza.

“India continues to extend humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine,” he said.

He also expressed concern over attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea. “India is independently contributing to ensuring the safety and security of maritime shipping,” Mr Jaishankar said.

On the conflict in Ukraine, he said India maintained the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve it.

“PM @narendramodi recently engaged President (Vladimir) Putin and President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. India stands ready to contribute in any manner possible,” he said in a post on X.

India remains a steadfast supporter of the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and appreciates its convergence with the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).

India encourages more East Asia Summit (EAS) members to join IPOI.

“We have consistently contributed towards the EAS Plan of Action,” he said, adding Nalanda University is a realisation of an important commitment to the EAS, he said, referring to the premier educational institution in Bihar.

India values the participation of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members in the Voice of the Global South Summit hosted by it last year.

“The EAS is crucial in bringing us together at a time when differences are sharp and interests are diverse. India will always stand firm in its commitment to the EAS process,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Southeast Asian Foreign Ministers gather in Laos this week for talks on the disputed South China Sea and the conflict in Myanmar, with top diplomats from China and the United States slated to meet on the sidelines.

The three-day meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) starts in the capital Vientiane on July 25.

Antony Blinken will meet Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the event at which he will “discuss the importance of adherence to international law in the South China Sea”, according to the U.S. State Department.

Beijing claims the waterway — through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually — almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

A series of clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels at flashpoint reefs in recent months have fuelled fears of a conflict that could drag in the United States owing to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.

ASEAN Ministers are expected to issue a joint communique after their meeting on Thursday.

In a draft seen by AFP, some Ministers expressed concerns over “serious incidents” in the waterway “which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region”.

A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in a June 17 confrontation when Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy attempt to resupply its troops on a remote outpost.

Beijing and Manila later reached an agreement allowing for the resupply of the troops stationed on a rusty warship deliberately grounded on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to assert Manila’s claims to the area.

One diplomat who is attending the meeting in Vientiane said China’s assertiveness in the sea was pushing some Southeast Asian countries closer to the United States.

Diplomats in the region were also preparing for the possibility of a Donald Trump victory in November’s U.S. election, they said, requesting anonymity to speak to the media.

ASEAN countries “more or less have a feel of how to deal with him… They know what are his trigger points, what he likes, what he dislikes,” he said.

Myanmar

Also on the agenda in Vientiane is the civil war in Myanmar, sparked by a military coup in 2021.

ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, has led diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis but has made little progress.

The junta is excluded from the bloc’s top-level meetings over its refusal to negotiate with its opponents and its brutal crackdown on dissent.

Myanmar is expected to send a senior bureaucrat to this week’s meeting, according to several sources.

The military’s readiness to re-engage with ASEAN diplomatically was a “sign of the junta’s weakened position”, a Southeast Asian diplomat, who will attend the talks, told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The generals have yet to make any meaningful counterattack following an offensive by ethnic armed groups in October that seized swaths of territory along the border with China.

The losses triggered rare public criticism of its top leadership.

“The centre is still solid under the junta,” the diplomat said, warning Myanmar could “become a failed state”.

The draft communique seen by AFP said ministers “strongly condemned” the continued violence.

The crisis has divided the bloc, with Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines calling for tougher action against the junta.

Thailand has held its own bilateral talks with the generals as well as detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
| Photo Credit: AP

The Philippines “cannot yield” in territorial disputes, President Ferdinand Marcos said on Monday, after a series of escalating confrontations with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Manila is locked in a longstanding territorial row with Beijing over parts of the strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars worth of trade passes annually.

Without naming China, Mr. Marcos said the Philippines would continue to “find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas… without compromising our position and our principles”. “The Philippines cannot yield. The Philippines cannot waver,” Mr. Marcos said in his annual State of the Nation adddress to Congress.

His remarks came after the Philippines and China agreed to a “provisional arrangement” for resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, which has been the focus of violent clashes in recent months.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea. 

Ties with China

Philippine relations with China have been turbulent since Mr. Marcos took office in 2022 vowing to defend his country’s claims to the South China Sea.

A series of clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels at flashpoint reefs have fuelled fears of a conflict that could drag in the U.S. owing to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.

China and the Philippines reached a deal they hope will end confrontations at the most fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea, the Philippine government said Sunday.

The Philippines occupies Second Thomas Shoal but China also claims it, and increasingly hostile clashes at sea have sparked fears of larger conflicts that could involve the United States.

The crucial deal was reached on Sunday, after a series of meetings between Philippine and Chinese diplomats in Manila and exchanges of diplomatic notes that aimed to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at the shoal without conceding either side’s territorial claims.

Two Philippine officials, who have knowledge of the negotiations, confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity and the government later issued a brief statement announcing the deal without providing details.

“Both sides continue to recognize the need to deescalate 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,” the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.

Neither side has yet released the text of the agreement.

China has disputes with several governments over land and sea borders, many of them in the South China Sea, and the rare deal with the Philippines could spark hope that similar arrangements could be forged by Beijing with other rival countries to avoid clashes while thorny territorial issues remain unresolved. It remains to be seen, however, if the deal could be implemented successfully and how long it will last.

Chinese coast guard and other forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers to prevent food and other supplies from reaching Filipino navy personnel at Manila’s outpost at the shoal.

The yearslong territorial standoff at the shoal has flared repeatedly since last year between Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships and Philippine coast guard-escorted navy boats transporting food, water and fresh navy and marine personnel to an outpost on a long-grounded and rusting warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.

In the worst confrontation, Chinese forces on motorboats repeatedly rammed and then boarded two Philippine navy boats on June 17 to prevent Filipino personnel from transferring food and other supplies including firearms to the ship outpost in the shallows of the shoal, according to the Philippine government.

After repeated ramming, the Chinese seized the Philippine navy boats and damaged them with machetes and improvised spears. They also seized seven M4 rifles, which were packed in cases, and other supplies. The violent faceoff wounded several Filipino navy personnel, including one who lost his thumb, in a chaotic skirmish that was captured in video and photos that were later made public by Philippine officials.

China and the Philippines blamed each other for the confrontation and each asserted their own sovereign rights over the shoal, which Filipinos call Ayungin and the Chinese call Ren’ai Jiao.

The United States and its key Asian and Western allies, including Japan and Australia, condemned the Chinese acts at the shoal and called for the rule of law and freedom of navigation to be upheld in the South China Sea, a key global trade route with rich fishing areas and undersea gas deposits.

In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been locked in separate but increasingly tense territorial disputes in the waterway, which is regarded as a potential flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the U.S.-China regional rivalry. The U.S. military has deployed navy ships and fighter jets for decades in what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols, which China has opposed and regards as a threat to regional stability.

Washington has no territorial claims in the disputed waters but has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

One of the two Philippine officials said the June 17 confrontation prompted Beijing and Manila to hasten on-and-off talks on an arrangement that would prevent confrontations at Second Thomas Shoal.

During final meetings in the last four days, two Chinese demands that had been key sticking points were removed from the draft deal.

China had previously said it would allow food, water and other basic supplies to be transported by the Philippines to its forces in the shoal if Manila agreed not to bring construction materials to fortify the crumbling ship, and to give China advance notice and the right to inspect the ships for those materials, the officials said.

The Philippines rejected those conditions, and the final deal did not include them, according to the Philippine official.