According to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, the pact between the two countries allows Manila to send humanitarian supplies to its warship in the area, as long as they notify Beijing in advance.

According to the spokeswoman, this outcome demonstrates China’s willingness to peacefully and cooperatively manage the situation on the reef.

“We hope the Philippines will honor its commitments and work together with China to properly manage the situation at sea,” she added.

China’s Foreign Ministry recently reported that the two nations agreed to further strengthen dialogue and maritime communication between their diplomatic and coast guard corps, a move aimed at maintaining stability in bilateral ties.

The agreement followed the ninth meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea held earlier this month.

Manila keeps a vessel stranded on Ren’ai Reef in the South China Sea and continues to build permanent facilities there, which Beijing calls illegal.

Incidents in the area between the Chinese coast guard and Philippine vessels have been increasing over the past year.

mh/ja