China's coast guard said the Philippines on Friday sent a civilian vessel to deliver provisions to its warship "illegally grounded" at Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.

Tensions between Beijing and Manila have intensified in recent months concerning the South China Sea, a region spanning 3.5 million square kilometers (1.35 million square miles) through which an estimated $11.3 billion in global trade passes annually, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Philippines will soon decide on an international platform to sue China for alleged damage to the marine environment, its justice minister said, as it pursues a second high-profile legal challenge against Beijing over the South China Sea.

Analysts say the agreement 'commits both states to a status quo' and urge the Philippines to hold firm on its South China Sea stance In a rare moment of accord amid their simmering feud over the South China Sea,

The protest stems from the presence of two coast guard vessels on Jan. 5 and Jan. 10 in and around the disputed Scarborough shoal