• The dispute centers around a decaying ship marooned by the Philippines on Second Thomas Shoal.
• The Philippines’ Coast Guard escorts have clashed with China Coast Guard escorts.
• US President Joe Biden pledged to defend Manila if Beijing attacked, citing the mutual defense treaty.

An unnamed senior Chinese official informed the Manila Times that the Philippines ignored proposals put forward by China to “manage” their dispute in the South China Sea. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr stated that the administration did not reject the deal but rather characterized its premise as “questionable.”

Tensions between Manila and Beijing have sharply escalated in recent months as the South China Sea, a focal point of territorial dispute among China, the Philippines, and other nations, remains at the center.

At the heart of the escalation lies a decaying ship purposely marooned by the Philippines on Second Thomas Shoal to bolster its claim in the area.

Routine missions to bring food and essentials to a handful of Filipino soldiers on the Sierra Madre ship have led to encounters between the Philippine Coast Guard escorts and the China Coast Guard.

According to the Manila Times, an unnamed senior Chinese official reported on Monday that China offered a proposal last April but the Marcos administration “met it with inaction”.

The report stated that China’s proposal included allowing Filipino resupply missions to the Second Thomas Shoal, with the condition that it involves just one ship and exclude the delivery of large-scale building materials.

The report claimed that this was based on an “understanding” between China and Mr. Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. On Tuesday, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) responded to the report, denying the allegations.

They stated that while some of China’s proposals were “workable,” others were “contrary to our national interests.” The DFA added that China responded to the Philippines’ counter-proposals with another set of counter-offers. Mr. Marcos later clarified that China’s proposals stood on a “questionable premise,” referencing China’s so-called 10-dash line map.

“We have not rejected any proposals that China has made to us but the premise is something that we questioned… that premise that China has made is that their territory follows what is now described as a 10-dash line,” he said in Germany, where he is on an official visit.

He added that no country, certainly not the Philippines, recognized China’s claims in the South China Sea. China claims the largest portion of territory in an area restricted by the “10-dash line,” which comprises ten dashes extending hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan.

Mr. Marcos assumed the presidency in June 2022 and pivoted the Philippines back to its traditional ally, the US, drawing ire from China.

After the first collision between Philippine and Chinese ships last October, US President Joe Biden stated that Washington would defend Manila if Beijing attacked, citing the mutual defense treaty binding the two countries. On the other hand, Mr. Duterte pursued stronger economic and political ties with China. He scaled back military cooperation between the Philippine and US militaries and refused to defy an international arbitration court ruling that rejected China’s vast sea claims, which also overlapped with those of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

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