Ayungin missions: Does the Philippines need permission? DFA refutes 'provisional understanding'

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has denied claims, including those made by Chinese Ambassador to Manila Jing Quan, that a confidential 2024 agreement prohibits construction in Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal). The DFA is working to clarify the facts surrounding a "provisional understanding" between Manila and Beijing. Ambassador Jing Quan had suggested that such an agreement exists and that the Philippines needs to seek China's permission for resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal. However, the DFA has explicitly denied the existence of such an agreement and the notion that the Philippines requires permission from another country to conduct its missions. Ayungin Shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and the Philippines maintains a presence there. The shoal hosts a grounded old naval vessel, which the Philippines uses as an outpost and aims to maintain and reinforce. China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea and frequently protests and obstructs Philippine activities. The DFA's rebuttal reiterates the Philippines' stance on defending its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea. However, the specific details of the "provisional understanding" claimed by the Chinese side, and the full scope of diplomatic exchanges between the two countries, remain unclear. Calls for greater transparency on this issue are growing within the Philippines. This standoff over the "provisional understanding" highlights the complex interplay between China's assertive maritime expansion in the South China Sea and the counter-efforts by the Philippines and its allies. The Philippines has been strengthening its security cooperation with countries like the United States, Japan, and Australia, all of whom emphasize the importance of the rule of law in the South China Sea.