MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned the public from China’s plan to release the recording of the Philippines’ alleged “new model” agreement with Beijing.
DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the public should not easily believe on the “false narratives” on the alleged deal between a Philippine military official and a Chinese diplomat regarding movements in the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
“The DFA cautions against falling for false narratives,” Daza said. “Resorting to tactics such as releasing unverifiable recordings of supposed conversations with Philippine officials could demonstrate efforts to sow discord and confusion among Philippine agencies and the Filipino public.”
“It is the duty of all persons to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State,” she added.
Daza’s statement came after Chinese diplomats released to select media outlets the alleged transcripts of the supposed conversation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines – Western Command (AFP WESCOM) chief and a Chinese diplomat.
On Saturday, the Chinese Embassy said AFP WESCOM made an agreement with China on the “new model” for managing the situation at the Ayungin Shoal.
“To follow up on the important consensus between the two heads-of-state to deescalate tension in the South China Sea, the Chinese side and the Philippine side, through AFP WESCOM, agreed on a ‘new model’ for the management of the situation at Ren’ai Jiao early this year after multiple rounds of discussions,” it said.
In response, the DFA said that no official from the Marcos administration entered into any agreement with the Chinese government regarding Ayungin Shoal.
The Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Security Council (NSC), for their part, both denied the existence of such agreement, while AFP said it will not dignify China’s claims.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said China’s massive claim over the South China Sea has no legal basis, but China refused to recognize it./PN
