According to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the deal allowed small-scale fishing around the islands but restricted military, coast guard, and official planes and ships to the 12 nautical mile limit.

The Philippines adhered to the agreement for seven years but allegedly violated it to pursue their own political agenda, leading China to disclose the arrangement and potentially escalating tensions in the disputed waterway.

The Philippines and China have been disputing sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea for over a year.

The Philippine government, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, have denied making any agreements that would surrender Philippine sovereignty to China.

Such an action would be an impeachable offense under the country's constitution.

However, Duterte hinted at such an agreement after his visit to Beijing without providing details.

Collin Koh, a naval affairs expert from the S.

Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, mentioned this hint as a possible reason for the ongoing disputes.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has denied the existence of a secret agreement granting Chinese fishermen access to Scarborough Shoal in exchange for Chinese investment and trade pledges.

Duterte, Marcos' predecessor, had claimed such an agreement was made but Beijing's statement relies solely on Duterte's verbal claim as they have no official document to prove it.

Marcos, who took office in June 2022, stated that he was not aware of any such agreement and if it existed, he would rescind it.

China has continued to insist on the existence of the secret agreement.

During his six-year presidency, Duterte cultivated friendly relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping while being openly hostile towards the United States for criticizing his drug war.

In 2016, during a visit to China, Duterte took an anti-American stance but denied entering into any agreements that would compromise Philippine territory.

He did, however, agree to maintain the "status quo" in disputed waters to prevent war.

Duterte recalled only the handshake with Xi and the agreement to maintain the status quo during their meeting.

The Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte, has stated that there was no written agreement preventing the Philippines from bringing construction materials to strengthen a military ship outpost at the Second Thomas Shoal.

However, some are calling it a "gentleman's agreement" to maintain peace in the South China Sea.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has ordered an investigation into this matter.

China claims that Philippine officials have promised to tow away a navy ship that was grounded in the shallows of the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999, but Philippine officials under former President Ferdinand Marcos deny any knowledge of such an agreement and refuse to remove the now dilapidated warship manned by Filipino sailors and marines.

China has accused the Philippines of violating commitments and acting illegally in the South China Sea, where several countries including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei have overlapping claims.

China refuses to recognize a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated its expansive claims based on historical grounds.

Skirmishes between China and the Philippines have escalated, with Chinese coast guard cutters using water cannons and both sides accusing each other of dangerous maneuvers.

The US, which has no claims to the sea, has conducted freedom of navigation operations to challenge China's claims, deploying Navy ships and fighter jets.

The US has made numerous statements expressing its commitment to defending the Philippines, its longest-standing ally in Asia, if their forces, ships, or aircraft are attacked, even in the South China Sea.