The Chinese Embassy in Manila has asserted that the Philippines had formally committed to towing its military ship, a pledge they claim is “on record and well-documented.”
Although no evidence has been presented to support this assertion, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has already denied any such agreement. A pro-China column also suggested that former president Joseph Estrada might have made a verbal commitment.
During a Pandesal Forum on Monday, Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong, noted that the Philippines had explicitly promised to remove its navy ship from Ayungin Shoal, an area within its exclusive economic zone. This commitment followed China’s formal protests, which the Philippine media has covered extensively.
Zhiyong also emphasized that the Philippines has yet to fulfill this commitment after 24 years.
While stability prevailed in the West Philippine Sea (a contested region within the South China Sea) due to consensus, Zhou bared that Manila has recently deviated from this consensus and taken unilateral actions. He disclosed that China proposed discussions to enhance the management of Ren’ai Reef to maintain peace, providing a draft proposal to the Philippines. However, Beijing is still awaiting an official response from Manila.
