Q: On April 10th, President Marcos said he was “horrified by the idea that we have compromised through a secret agreement the territory, sovereignty, and sovereign rights of the Philippines.” On the 11th, former President Duterte told reporters that there was a “verbal” agreement on the management of Ren’ai Jiao situation where the two sides agreed on keeping it “as is, where is,” and that the Philippines “cannot bring in materials to repair and improve” so that there will be no conflict; that the agreement is “binding” but “not much of an exchange of control over the South China Sea;” and that his government has “not conceded anything to China.”May this Embassy make it clear has there been a Gentleman’s Agreement between the Duterte Administration and China on the Ren’ai Jiao issue? Has there been any renewed internal understanding between the current Philippine Administration and the Chinese side on this issue?

 A: China’s position on the Ren’ai Jiao issue is consistent and clear. Ren’ai Jiao is part of China’s Nansha Qundao. China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao, including Ren’ai Jiao, and the adjacent waters. 

In May 1999, the Philippines “grounded” BRP Sierra Madre at Ren’ai Jiao. The Chinese side immediately lodged serious démarches, asking the Philippines to tow away the warship at once. The Philippines has made repeated and clear promises to do so as soon as possible, but it has yet to fulfill its promises to this day. By illegally “grounding” the warship at Ren’ai Jiao, the Philippines violates China’s sovereignty and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), especially its Article 5 on refraining from action of inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features. China demands that the Philippines fulfill its promise and tow away BRP Sierra Madre at an early date.

 Over the past 25 years, out of humanitarian considerations, China made special provisional arrangements for Philippine vessels sending living necessities like food and water to the illegally “grounded” warship. But we resolutely oppose the Philippines sending large amount of constructions materials, and we will never accept the Philippines conducting large-scale repair and reinforcement of the warship in order to build permanent structures to permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao illegally. 

In order to manage the Ren’ai Jiao situation, during the Duterte Administration, China and the Philippines reached a Gentleman’s Agreement, which had effectively helped maintain the overall peace and stability at Ren’ai Jiao. In the beginning of the current Philippine Administration, the said Agreement was still followed in handling the resupply mission of Ren’ai Jiao. But since February 2023, the Philippine side has ceased to abide by the Agreement, categorically denied its existence, and kept stirring up trouble to provoke incidents. This is the reason behind the constant volatility in Ren’ai Jiao in the past year. 

Nevertheless, China still maintains communication with the Philippines at all levels, trying to find ways to effectively manage the Ren’ai Jiao situation. Last September, the Chinese side invited the Special Envoy of the President to China for Special Concerns to China to discuss how to properly manage the situation at Ren’ai Jiao. Earlier this year, the Chinese side and the Philippine side agreed on a “new model” on the management of Ren’ai Jiao situation after rounds of negotiations. Yet again, in disregard of China’s goodwill and good faith, the Philippine side repeatedly broke its promise and went back on its own word by sending construction materials to the illegally “grounded” warship to build a permanent outpost with fixed facilities in an attempt to permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao. The Chinese side has no choice but to take all necessary measures to safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

We would like to once again urge the Philippines to honor its promises and consensus reached, stop provocations and return to the right track of dialogue and consultation. It is hoped that the Philippines will work in the same direction with China so that the two sides can jointly manage the situation at Ren’ai Jiao and maintain the hard-won peace and stability in the South China Sea and in the region.