The Philippines completed unhindered a resupply mission to its troops on a disputed South China Sea Shoal, said its foreign ministry. This was the first such trip under a new agreement with China that aims to cool tensions.

After repeated clashes that caused concern in the region about escalation, the Philippines and China announced last week a "provisional" agreement on Manila's supply missions to its troops aboard a naval vessel grounded on Second Thomas Shoal.

In 1999, the Philippines deliberately immobilized a now rusted former U.S. ship at the shoal to try and claim it as their territory. Since then, they have maintained a small rotating troop presence, angering China, who has coast guards stationed there.

The foreign ministry released a statement saying that the mission on Saturday involved a civilian ship, escorted and supervised by the Philippine Coast Guard. No untoward incident was reported.

It said that Chinese vessels were a safe distance away and there was no danger of collision. China did not receive any notification prior to the incident, nor did it make an attempt to inspect these vessels.

According to Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, they have overseen the entire process.

In a press release, he stated that he hoped the Philippines would honour their commitment, work with China on an equal footing, and manage the maritime situation jointly.

At a regional summit held in Laos by the U.S. Department of State, Antony Blinken, he expressed his satisfaction that the mission had been a success and the two countries reached an agreement.

He said, "We applaud this and we hope and expect that it will continue going forward."

Both the Philippines and China have said that the agreement will not affect their territorial positions.

The shoal lies within the Philippines exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and is located 1,300 km away from mainland China. China refers to this shoal as Renai Reef.

A Philippine navy member lost his finger in June after an incident described by Manila as "intentional high-speed ramming". The China coast guard claimed that the replenishment vessel ignored repeated warnings.

China claims that it owns almost all of the South China Sea based on historical maps. An arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that this claim was not backed by international law. Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales, Manila; Kevin Yao, Beijing; Editing and production by Martin Petty