For the first time in months, a mission to resupply Philippine troops stationed at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea was completed on Friday without interference from Chinese ships, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported.
“Mission accomplished! Today, we executed a flawless rotation and resupply mission operation for BRP Sierra Madre,” tweeted AFP spokesman Col. Francel Margareth Padilla on Friday.
The Sierra Madre, a rusting Philippine Navy ship deliberately grounded in the shoal’s shallows, serves as living quarters for the Philippine troops.
Padilla credited the mission’s success to “teamwork, precision, and dedication at its best.”
This successful mission marks the second for the year, with previous missions facing harassment from the China Coast Guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels to prevent resupply boats from reaching Ayungin. These harassment tactics have garnered international condemnation and have been documented on video.
However, on Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard ships Cabra and Sindangan encountered no resistance from China as they escorted the boat carrying provisions to Ayungin. Although they were met by the China Coast Guard ship CCG 5205 upon arrival at nearby Escoda Shoal, no tension developed, according to Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a website monitoring developments in the South China Sea.
Despite the deployment of at least 17 Chinese maritime militia ships in the area, they were mostly waiting west of Mischief Reef. This is a significant departure from previous instances where Chinese vessels would take up blockading positions as the resupply convoy approached.
“A very different Philippines resupply to Ayungin Shoal. China’s usual blockade hasn’t materialized,” noted Powell, who is also the lead for Project Myoushu at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
Powell suggests that the unusually calm situation may be the result of the agreement reached by the Philippines and China in Shanghai last month. During the 8th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea on January 17, the two countries agreed to “improve maritime communication mechanism in the South China Sea,” starting this year. They also emphasized the importance of continuous dialogue to maintain peace and stability at sea while assuring each other of their commitment to avoid escalating tensions.
“Whatever deal the two sides made in Shanghai may have dialed down China’s aggression, for now,” Powell said.
The Cabra escorted the supply ship to the Sierra Madre, while the Sindangan remained near Sabina Shoal. Powell speculates that the lack of a blockade from China could be due to the presence of only one resupply vessel, Unaiza May 1, with the others (Unaiza May 1 and M/L Kalayaan) being damaged in recent encounters, or a combination of both factors.
“Of course, there are certainly China vessels that we cannot see because they are running automatic information system (AIS)-dark, such as CCG 5203, but those we can detect have kept their distance,” Powell added.
The Chinese harassment began in earnest in February 2023 when a CCG vessel pointed a military-grade laser at a PCG ship escorting a resupply mission of the Philippine Navy. Subsequent incidents included Chinese ships blocking two PCG vessels from entering Ayungin in June, a CCG firing a water cannon at a Philippine boat en route to Ayungin in August, and a CCG ship ramming a Philippine resupply vessel in December.
China has blamed the Philippines for these incidents, claiming that Manila continues to defy an earlier consensus regarding the transportation of large-scale construction materials to the Sierra Madre.
The successful completion of the recent resupply mission without interference from China indicates a potential shift in China’s aggression. The agreement reached in Shanghai and the absence of a blockade during this mission could be signs of a temporary de-escalation. However, it remains to be seen whether this change will be sustained in the long term. The resupply of Philippine troops at Ayungin Shoal is crucial for maintaining their presence and sovereignty in the region, and any hindrance to these operations undermines stability and peace.
Source: The Manila Times
