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South China Sea: Philippines’ hitch-free mission a sign of better days in disputed waters?
- Some observers warn that China may still manipulate the narrative around the Second Thomas Shoal flashpoint for its own gain
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Tensions in the South China Sea seemed to have cooled for the moment after the Philippines’ first resupply mission to a military outpost on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal under a new deal with Beijing took place without incident.
While analysts call it a positive development, they warn Manila to “stay vigilant” against attempts by Beijing to manipulate the narrative for its own gain, potentially undermining the fragile peace.
Don McLain Gill, a geopolitical analyst and lecturer at De La Salle University’s Department of International Studies, told This Week in Asia that Manila “should not rule out active escalation, which is still very much within the utility belt of China”.
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Gill said Saturday’s RORE (rotation and resupply mission) mission was a “positive sign”, but cautioned that the Chinese would “try to misconstrue this success” to “illustrate itself in a dominant position”.
The Philippines’ foreign affairs department announced in a statement on Saturday that the first resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre – a World War II warship that was intentionally grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal as a military outpost since 1999 – took place “without any untoward incidents”.
It was the Philippines’ first RORE mission to the shoal since officials from Manila and Beijing announced they had brokered a “provisional arrangement” during bilateral talks on July 2 to allow such operations to take place peacefully. The details of the agreement were not made public.
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