SUMMARY

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Saturday, April 27, denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling the claim propaganda.

A spokesperson at China’s embassy in Manila said on April 18 that the two had agreed early this year to a “new model” in managing tensions at the Second Thomas Shoal (called Ayungin Shoal in Manila), without elaborating.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Saturday his department was “not aware of, nor is it a party to, any internal agreement with China” since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022. Defense department officials have not spoken to any Chinese officials since last year, Teodoro said in a statement.

China’s emb…

Source:https://www.rappler.com/philippines/manila-denies-deal-china-ayungin-shoal/