Philippines, China agree to address maritime issues peacefully

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Mar 2023 12:03

China's Vice Foreign Minister underlines that maritime issues are an important part of China-Philippines relations that should not be ignored.

Philippine Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations Theresa Lazaro and China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong during the Bilateral Consultations Mechanism on the South China Sea in Manila, Philippines, March 24, 2023 (Reuters)

A Philippine official on Friday pointed out that maritime issues between the Philippines and China remain a "serious concern", as the two countries agreed to employ diplomacy to address disagreements peacefully during high-level talks.

This week, the Philippines hosted the first in-person meeting between the diplomats of both sides since before the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a resurgence of tensions over what Manila termed as China's alleged "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea.

"Both our countries' leaders agreed that maritime issues should be addressed through diplomacy and dialogue and never through coercion and intimidation," Philippine Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, Theresa Lazaro, announced at the opening of bilateral talks on the South China Sea.

According to Lazaro, maritime differences with China were a "serious concern" but could be resolved through the "exhaustion of all diplomatic means."

The talks come two months after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's state visit to China, where his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expressed his readiness to manage maritime issues "cordially" with Manila. The two sides agreed to establish a direct communications channel between their foreign ministries on the South China Sea in order to resolve conflicts peacefully.

"Maritime issues are an important part of China-Philippines relations that should not be ignored," China's Vice Foreign Minister, Sun Weidong, underlined.

"In the past years, through friendly dialogue and consultations, the two countries have generally managed and effectively dealt with our differences on maritime issues. And we have also advanced our practical cooperation and our mutual trust," indicated Sun, who is on a three-day visit to Manila.

But China has expressed concern over a growing American military deployment in its neighbor the Philippines, accusing the US of aggravating regional tensions.

Last month, Marcos authorized the US wider access to military facilities in a deal viewed as a sign of a thawing of relations between Manila and its former colonial ruler, which had deteriorated under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Marcos has claimed frequently that the Philippines has no future without the United States.

The Philippines accused China's coast guard of activating a laser on one of its vessels assisting a resupply mission for troops in the Spratly Islands last month.

Marcos later summoned the Chinese envoy to express his alarm regarding China's operations in the region.