Beijing denies its South China Sea deal with former Philippine leader Duterte was a ‘secret’

Name: Chinese floating barrier blocks entrance to Philippine ships at South China Sea flashpoint
Uploaded: 2024-04-18T13:30:46.000Z
Duration: 1 min 49 s
Description: Chinese floating barrier blocks entrance to Philippine ships at South China Sea flashpoint

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr says his government will not honour deal struck by predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to manage Second Thomas Shoal

China rejects Marcos’ claims that the agreement was a secret and urges Manila to stick to its commitments on the disputed reef

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China says the deal it made with former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte (left) was intended to manage the situation on a contested South China Sea reef, maintain peace and prevent conflict. Photo: AFP

Liu Zhen

Published: 9:30pm, 18 Apr 2024Updated: 9:34pm, 18 Apr 2024

China on Thursday rejected comments by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr claiming that his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte had struck a “secret” deal with Beijing over the South China Sea.

Beijing added that the Marcos government complied with the agreement for more than half a year before abandoning it.

Marcos said last Friday that a deal between Duterte and China over the Second Thomas Shoal – known as Renai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines – was “a secret agreement” that “could compromise sovereignty”.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Manila denied the deal was a secret and said the Marcos government had abided by the agreement after taking office in 2022 and even reached a “new understanding” with the Chinese side.

“Since the current government of the Philippines took office, China has repeatedly informed and negotiated with the top members of the administration on matters relating to the ‘gentleman’s agreement’,” an embassy spokesman said.

“Until the beginning of February 2023, seven months after the current Philippine government took office, the relevant departments and agencies of both sides had complied with this agreement, effectively ensuring peace and stability in the situation on Renai Jiao,” the spokesman said.

The agreement with Duterte was intended to manage the situation, maintain peace and prevent conflict, the statement said, emphasising that it had “nothing to do with our respective sovereign positions”.

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Chinese floating barrier blocks entrance to Philippine ships at South China Sea flashpoint