A Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea was denied by the Philippines on Saturday ( April 27 ), calling the claim propaganda.
A representative from China’s embassy in Manila reported on April 18 that the two had come to terms with a “new type” for managing tensions at the Second Thomas Shoal, without going into further detail.
Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated on Saturday that his country was” hardly aware of, nor is it a party to, any domestic agreement with China.”
Teodoro said in a statement that the Defense Department has not spoken to any Chinese leaders since last year.
Teodoro’s comments were made during business hours, and China’s embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment right away.
In recent months, Beijing and Manila have consistently fought over the buried reef, which Beijing claims is located only in its “exclusive economic zone” but which China even asserts.