Duterte’s Verbal ‘Handshake’ Deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping: Maintaining the Status Quo in the West Philippine Sea
Learn more about Duterte’s admission of a verbal ‘handshake’ deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where they agreed to maintain the status quo in the West Philippine Sea. Despite the agreement, Duterte emphasized that the Philippines had not conceded anything to China, and he stressed the country’s inability to afford a war with Beijing.