China Claims New Model Agreement with AFP-WESCOM on BRP Sierra Madre
MANILA, Philippines — Repeatedly rebuffed of its claim that a special deal exists with the Philippines regarding the BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal, China – through its embassy in Manila – is now pointing to the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Wescom) as the other party in the so-called “new model” arrangement.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese embassy said the “new model” was an offshoot of the “gentleman’s agreement” that allowed a rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to the BRP Sierra Madre to proceed without interference from the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) or its maritime militia last Feb. 2.
The Chinese embassy said Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año were aware of the negotiations and even gave their blessings to the final agreement.
The two Philippines officials have denied the embassy’s claim.
“China has always been committed to properly managing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation with the Philippines and has made relentless efforts in this regard. The ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ is a concrete outcome of such efforts,” the embassy said.
The AFP-WESCOM, which has jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea, is headed by Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, who was among those slightly wounded in a Chinese water cannon attack during a resupply mission in March.
The embassy said the CCG launched the water cannon attack in response to the Philippines’ reneging on its promise to stick to the agreement.
“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,” the embassy said, referring to Ayungin Shoal by its name assigned by Beijing.
The Chinese embassy noted that the gentlemen’s agreement and the “new model” are both “confidence-building measure aimed at managing disputes, avoiding conflicts and maintaining peace” and had nothing to do with the sovereign positions of China and the Philippines in the WPS.
“During the discussion, the AFP WESCOM has made repeated confirmation that the ‘new model’ has been approved by all key officials in the Philippine chain of command, including the Secretary of National Defense and the National Security Advisor,” the statement read.
“The communication and negotiation on this subject matter is kept on record in every detail by the Chinese side. Thanks to the ‘new model,’ frontliners of both sides had guidance to follow on how to interact with each other, which made the resupply mission on last Feb. 2 a smooth one,” it added.
The Chinese embassy even pointed out that the AFP spokesperson, apparently referring to AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, described the resupply mission as “flawless” in a post on X on the same day.
Courtesy call
China claimed that it has always attached great importance to communication and dialogue with the DND and the AFP and underscored that on July 5, 2023, Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian even paid a courtesy call on Teodoro at Camp Aguinaldo, where he “exchanged views with the latter on China-Philippines military relations and maritime issues, among other things.”
“During the meeting, the Philippine side was briefed on the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ on the management of Ren’ai Jiao (Ayungin Shoal). Readouts of the meeting were released respectively by the DND and the Chinese embassy in the Philippines,” the Chinese embassy said.
“The above are facts, not narratives or inventions. China is always committed to managing the situation at Ren’ai Jiao and maintaining dialogue and communication with the Philippines in a responsible manner,” it said.
“It is regrettable that despite the internal understandings and arrangements, peace and tranquility was disrupted again and again at Ren’ai Jiao,” it added.
The embassy said it was wondering why the Philippine government keeps on denying the existence of an agreement on Sierra Madre. “More and more questions are wracking our brains,” it said.
“Admittedly the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ was reached during the previous Philippine administration, it is also a fact that the ‘new model’ was reached during the incumbent Philippine administration,” it pointed out.
“Then why was such a model which has been proven effective in practice for managing differences and avoiding conflicts abandoned again by the Philippines without any good reason after it worked only once? And who made the decision to abandon the ‘new model’? Could it be that managing differences and avoiding conflicts go against the interests of certain forces?”
Asked for comment, DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the department had already made statements stressing that “this issue is hackneyed and does not require a response.”
Teodoro, in an April 27 statement, maintained that there was no such internal or gentleman’s agreement between the Philippines and China on the Ayungin Shoal.
“The Department of National Defense is not aware of, nor is it a party to, any internal agreement with China on Ayungin Shoal since President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. took office,” he declared. — Ghio Ong
