The ‘provisional understanding’ with China that has caused misunderstanding

A temporary agreement between Beijing and Manila on resupply missions has brought peace to Ayungin Shoal—until it unraveled

It was all smiles and handshakes when Maria Theresa Lazaro, then-foreign affairs undersecretary, concluded talks with her counterpart, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong, to ease the tension during resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal. Both sides have called this a “provisional understanding” or a “provisional agreement”—and have kept the terms confidential.

The Philippines thereafter conducted 13 resupply missions, all untroubled.

The meeting was held in Manila in July 2024, weeks after machete-wielding China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel assaulted a Navy rubber boat that brought food and supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre and, in the melee, cut off a Filipino sailor’s thumb.

It was the first known violent encounter in the annals of rotation and resupply missions — known as RORE — to the aging Sierra Madre, which guards the Ayungin Shoal. A number of Navy and Marine personnel take turns keeping watch over the feature that China wants to control so that it can enforce its sweeping claims over the South China Sea.