Q: According to media reports, President Marcos has repeatedly asked the following questions on the Gentleman’s Agreement regarding the Ren’ai Jiao issue: What is contained in the Agreement? And why keep it a secret? What is the Embassy’s comment on this?
A: During the previous administration of the Philippines, our two sides reached a Gentleman’s Agreement on the Ren’ai Jiao issue. The Gentleman’s Agreement is about managing the situation on the ground, maintaining peace and preventing conflicts. It has nothing to do with our respective sovereign positions. The Agreement is no secret in that relevant departments and agencies of our two sides had worked under its guidance, effectively maintaining peace and stability at Ren’ai Jiao until early February 2023, or seven months into the incumbent Philippine administration.
Since the current Philippine administration took office, the Chinese side has repeatedly briefed this administration on matters related to the Gentleman’s Agreement, made representations regarding the Ren’ai Jiao issue, and remained committed to exploring ways of managing the differences through dialogue and consultation with the Philippine side. In addition to the meetings of China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM), the Chinese side invited the Envoy of the President to China for Special Concerns of the Philippines to Beijing last September to discuss how to properly manage the situation at Ren’ai Jiao, which resulted in an internal understanding. A “new model” for management of the Ren’ai Jiao situation was also agreed upon by both sides early this year after rounds of serious communications with the Philippine military. Regrettably, only one round of resupply mission was carried out within the realm of these understandings and arrangements before they were unilaterally abandoned by the Philippine side for no good reason.
China once again urges the Philippines to honor its commitments and consensus with China, show sincerity, stop provocations, return to the right track of dialogue and consultation as soon as possible, and work with the Chinese side to properly manage the situation at Ren’ai Jiao and safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in the South China Sea.