China permits Philippine ship to deliver supplies to Second Thomas Shoal outpost

China has allowed a Philippine civilian ship to deliver supplies to a warship long grounded by Manila at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, the Chinese coastguard said on Tuesday.

The move appeared to be a rare act of de-escalation amid continued clashes between the two neighbours over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

“On December 12, with the permission of the Chinese side, the Philippines sent a civilian boat to deliver daily necessities to its illegally ‘beached’ warship on Renai Jiao,” China Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun said in a statement, using Beijing’s term for the Second Thomas Shoal, a contested reef in the strategically important waterway.

“The Chinese coastguard inquired and confirmed the Philippine vessel while supervising it throughout the whole process,” he added.

A day later, the Chinese defence ministry accused the Philippines of “stirring up troubles” in several spots in the South China Sea “with US support and solicitation”.

The Second Thomas Shoal, claimed by both China and the Philippines, and the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era tank landing ship that Manila deliberately stationed there in 1999, have taken centre stage in the growing frictions between the countries over the past two years.