It said the mission to Second Thomas Shoal was the first since Manila and Beijing reached a "provisional arrangement" last week for the delivery of daily necessities and rotation missions for Filipino troops based on a rusty warship grounded atop the reef.
The shoal has been a focus of clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months, sparking concern it could draw in Manila ally the United States in a conflict as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the latest confrontation on June 17, when Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy resupply attempt.
"No untoward incidents were reported" after a civilian vessel escorted by a Philippine Coast Guard boat reprovisioned the BRP Sierra Madre and rotated troops there on Saturday, a Philippine foreign department statement said.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu confirmed that the Philippines had carried out a resupply mission "in accordance with the temporary arrangement reached between China and the Philippines".
The two sides disagreed on the details of the mission, with a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson saying "China had been notified of the resupply before it was carried out".
"After confirming on-site that the Philippine vessel carried only humanitarian living necessities, the Chinese side let the Philippine vessel through," the spokesperson added.
Philippine foreign department spokeswoman Teresita Daza told reporters Saturday that Manila gave no prior notification to the Chinese side, and there was no on-site inspection of the vessels.
"We were informed the Chinese coast guard vessels were at a reasonable distance with no risk of collision," Daza added.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called on the Philippines to "honour its commitments" under the deal, according to a readout of his meeting with Philippine foreign secretary Enrique Manalo at an ASEAN gathering in Laos.
Manalo said he hoped Beijing would keep its side of the bargain.
"If the parties implement, and we hope China implements the agreement, then we'll be able to resupply our military personnel on the ship without any obstruction," he told reporters.
"I think that would be an important step forward in diffusing tensions and hopefully lead to other areas of cooperation on the South China Sea."
A handful of Filipino troops are stationed on the rusty Sierra Madre that was deliberately grounded on the shoal in 1999 to assert Manila's claims to the area.
They require frequent resupplies for food, water and other necessities as well as transport for personnel rotations.
The shoal lies about 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the western Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometres from China's nearest major landmass, Hainan island.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday hit out at China's "escalatory and unlawful actions" in the South China Sea, hours before he was due to hold talks with Wang in Vientiane.
Washington and ASEAN had to work together to "address challenges," Blinken told ministers from the 10-member bloc, including China's "escalatory and unlawful actions taken against the Philippines in the South China Sea over the last few months."
China warns Philippines of 'resolute' response in South China Sea
Vientiane (AFP) July 27, 2024 -
China will "respond resolutely" to any violation by the Philippines of a recent deal to calm tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea, its top diplomat told his Filipino counterpart, Beijing said Saturday.
Manila is locked in a longstanding territorial row with Beijing over parts of the strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars worth of trade passes annually.
Last week, the two sides agreed to a "provisional arrangement" for resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, which has been the focus of violent clashes in recent months.
Wang Yi on Friday called on the Philippines to "honour its commitments" under the deal rather than "backtracking or creating complications", according to a readout of his meeting with Philippine foreign secretary Enrique Manalo at an ASEAN gathering in Laos.
"Otherwise, China will definitely respond resolutely," he said.
Speaking to reporters late Friday, Manalo said he hoped Beijing would keep its side of the bargain.
"If the parties implement, and we hope China implements the agreement, then we'll be able to resupply our military personnel on the ship without any obstruction," he said.
"I think that would be an important step forward in diffusing tensions and hopefully lead to other areas of cooperation on the South China Sea."
The two diplomats met in Laos capital Vientiane, host of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers meeting that comes amid a time of high tensions over the South China Sea.
Beijing claims the waterway -- through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually -- almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The clashes have fuelled fears of a conflict that could drag in the United States due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.
US top diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Laos on Saturday for talks with ASEAN foreign ministers and will also meet with Wang.
Blinken has prioritised promoting a "free and open" Asia-Pacific region -- a thinly veiled criticism of China's regional economic, strategic and territorial ambitions.
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