President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. questioned what was compromised after his predecessor former President Rodrigo Duterte entered a “gentleman’s agreement” with China, regarding the country's claims in the South China Sea.

“What was the Duterte administration promised to China? We don’t know that. We just learned about it so we can now confirm an agreement. They call it a gentleman’s agreement. I call it a secret agreement,” Marcos said in a media interview on the sidelines of his Washington visit on Friday (local time).

Nonetheless, Marcos said he is open to discussing with Duterte about the so-called gentleman’s agreement and other foreign policies that the latter entered into with China.

He urged the Duterte administration to bring to the table the documents involving its agreements with China.

“Send them to me and then we’ll sit down. Send those documents to me. And then I’ll sit down and discuss it. I’ll do my homework for him. Just the way I work. I read all the materials first so when I’m in the conference, I can ask intelligent questions,” Marcos said.

He stressed that any agreement with China should not compromise the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.