Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana met with General Wei Fenghe, the Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Friday.
He brought up the award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) to the Philippines in 2016 pertaining to its claims in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
According to a statement released by the Department of National Defense (DND), Lorenzana and Wei discussed the issue on territorial claims in the WPS and both leaders "agreed that peace and stability in South China Sea should be maintained."
In an earlier version of the statement which had been recalled, the DND said Lorenzana "reaffirmed the Philippines' adherence to the award issued by the Tribunal constituted under Annex VII to the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and its enforcement without any possibility of compromise or change."
The ruling dismissed China's historical claims --- based on its nine-dash line concept --- in a major part of the South China Sea, including the areas within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.
During the meeting, Lorenzana and Wei discussed "key issues affecting the defense organizations of both countries," the DND noted.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), according to Lorenzana, will continue "to conduct routine, legitimate maritime patrols in the WPS and challenge any activities that infringe on Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction."
Lorenzana and Wei also both agreed that the Philippines and China "should continue to conduct dialogue and consultation to manage disputes" in the tension-filled waters.
Lorenzana expressed optimism that the meeting with Wei will foster collaboration between Manila and Beijing's defense establishments and advance mutual trust for future exchanges on matters of security and mutual concern.
"While we may not agree on some issues, as good friends and neighbors we remain firm in finding ways to improve our relations," Lorenzana said.
Meanwhile, a ceremonial signing for a P1-billion donation in humanitarian and disaster response (HADR) equipment from China was also held during the meeting.
Lorenzana thanked Wei for China's help in the country's HADR response capability build-up efforts.
The two defense leaders also exchanged best practices in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China.
For his part, Wei conveyed China's readiness to share its experience in combating COVID-19 and hoped that the Philippines "overcomes the pandemic at the earliest possible time."
The defense leaders also agreed to continue working on revising the 2004 Philippines-China Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defense Cooperation that is seen to pave the way for more personnel exchanges, trainings, and better communications channel between the AFP and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China.
The visit of China's defense minister to the Philippines was the fifth since 2002. Similar visits were held in 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2017.
Wei's visit to the Philippines was part of his tour of selected countries in Southeast Asia at a time where China continues to tighten its grip on the hotly-contested areas in South China Sea.