Talks can ease South China Sea frictions

While still requiring the Philippines to tow away the warship it has grounded on Ren'ai Reef and restore the original state of being uninhabited and without facilities, China has agreed to a temporary arrangement with the Philippines whereby it will allow humanitarian supplies to be delivered to the troops stationed on the vessel. But it made it categorically clear that it will not tolerate any attempts to build fixed facilities or permanent outposts on the reef.

The deal the two neighbors have reportedly reached to end the confrontations over China's Ren'ai Reef and its surrounding waters, if strictly observed, will certainly help ease tensions in the South China Sea and improve the strained relations between the two countries. However, it is up to Manila to take concrete actions to prove that it is ready to work toward those ends.

The current tensions around Ren'ai Reef were triggered by the Philippine government repeatedly trying to send large amounts of construction materials to the personnel living aboard the warship that it illegally grounded on the reef in 1999 in an attempt to build it into a permanent outpost so as to reinforce its "sovereignty claim". These provocative actions have not only violated China's sovereignty, but also run counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, whose Article 5 states that the parties should refrain from any settlement activities on the uninhabited islands and reefs.