Published January 18, 2024
Manila and Beijing pledge to improve communication after 8th bilateral meeting
BEIJING/MANILA (Reuters) — China and the Philippines have agreed to improve maritime communication and to properly manage conflicts and differences through friendly talks in regard to issues around the South China Sea, their foreign ministries said in a statement.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro held a frank and in-depth exchange of views on the situation while co-chairing the eighth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea in Shanghai, according to statements released by the Chinese and Philippine foreign ministries.
In the talks, the two sides reaffirmed that the South China Sea dispute is “not the whole story of bilateral relations,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement released late on Wednesday.
The two countries have had numerous confrontations recently in certain disputed waters in the South China Sea, with both trading accusations of provoking conflict in the economically strategic waterway, including charges that China rammed a ship last month carrying the Philippine armed forces’ chief of staff.
China said its operation was “professional, reasonable and legal.”
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Both officials believe “maintaining communication and dialogue is essential to maintaining maritime peace and stability,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
In the Jan. 17 statement released by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, it said both sides “agreed to calmly deal with incidents, if any, through diplomacy.”
The two sides agreed to properly manage maritime conflicts and differences through friendly consultations, as well as properly handle maritime emergencies, especially the situation around the Second Thomas Shoal, known as Renai Reef in China and Ayungin in the Philippines.
“Both sides presented their respective positions on the Ayungin Shoal and assured each other of their mutual commitment to avoid escalation of tensions,” the DFA said.
Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels have had heated and dangerous run-ins in that area as China becomes more assertive in pressing its maritime claims there.
Relations have been strained for months, but both have reiterated a commitment to dialogue. Both said in the meeting they would advance practical maritime cooperation “so as to create favorable conditions for the sound and stable development of China-Philippines relations,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
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SOURCE: www.asia.nikkei.com
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After months of friction near Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, senior officials agreed to “further improve maritime communication”. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard
Published January 18, 2024
China and the Philippines have agreed to manage their disputes over the South China Sea amid heightened tensions between the two rival claimants that have raised concerns of a wider conflict.
During the latest bilateral consultative mechanism meeting in Shanghai on Wednesday, senior officials from the two countries agreed to “further improve maritime communication and properly manage their differences through consultation … to better deal with urgent situations at sea, especially manage the situation at Renai Reef”, the Chinese readout said, using the Chinese name for Second Thomas Shoal.
“[The two sides] would continue to promote practical cooperation at sea, so as to create favourable conditions for the healthy and stable development of China-Philippines relations,” the statement said.
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During the “frank and in-depth” negotiations, the two sides agreed it was in the interests of both nations to maintain stability in the South China Sea, and that keeping up communication was crucial to achieve that.
The negotiations were co-chaired by China’s assistant foreign minister Nong Rong and the Philippine foreign ministry undersecretary Theresa Lazaro, while representatives of their respective departments of foreign affairs, defence, natural resources, environment, transport, agriculture and coastguards also attended.
Wednesday’s meeting – the eighth since the mechanism was established in 2017 – was held as relations between Beijing and Manila were further tested after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on Monday congratulated Taiwan’s president-elect William Lai Ching-te, who Beijing has denounced as a separatist.
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SOURCE: www.scmp.com
RELATED: China, Philippines seek better communication, management of conflicts in South China Sea
National flags are placed outside a room where Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and China’s Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng address reporters after their meeting in Beijing, China, January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Published January 18, 2024
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SOURCE: www.reuters.com
