China Releases Tape and Transcript, Exposing Philippine Duplicity in U.S.-Orchestrated Military Conflict

China released to the press a recording, with a transcript, of a call between a Chinese diplomat in Manila and a Philippine Naval officer, in which the officer confirmed that there was an agreement between the two countries to restrict the Philippine visits to the (purposely) grounded military ship on the Second Thomas Shoal, which is in a contested region of the South China Sea. The Marcos government, under apparent complete control of the U.S. military, has denied that there was ever such an agreement, a so-called “new model.” The agreement was to limit Philippine re-supply visits to the ship, also limiting the material to be supplied, to food and medicine for the military personnel who stayed on the grounded ship (providing an excuse as an “official Philippine government presence"), preventing any building material or military equipment. The Philippines followed the agreement for a month, then broke it the following month, precipitating a run-in with the Chinese Coast Guard, which used water cannons to prevent the contact.