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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DFA chief, Chinese diplomat tackle PH-China relations after Ayungin incident

DFA chief, Chinese diplomat tackle PH-China relations after Ayungin incident

Published Feb 19, 2023 12:18 pm

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Ambassador Fu Ying, one of China’s top diplomats, discussed the latest incidents in the contested Ayungin Shoal between the two countries’ Coast Guards as they vowed to further strengthen the relationship despite the maritime tensions.

Chinese Ambassador Fu Ying (left) and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo (right) shake hands during a meeting in Munich, Germany. (Photo from DFA Sec. Manalo via Twitter)

The two officials met on the sidelines of the 2023 Munich Security Conference, a forum on international security, which is currently ongoing.

“I had a broad and candid exchange w/ Amb. Fu Ying, Vice Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of National People’s Congress of China. We talked about the latest incidents around Ayungin Shoal,” Manalo wrote on Twitter on Saturday, Feb. 18.

He added that they also talked about ways on “how to further strengthen PH-CN relations while managing our maritime differences & regional security challenges in Indo-Pacific.”

“It was a pleasure to have had a thoughtful dialogue with one of China’s distinguished diplomats & a former ambassador to PH @DFAPHL,” Manalo said.

READ: PCG reveals laser-pointing by Chinese vessel ‘already the second time’

Fu was China’s former ambassador to Manila from 1998 to 2000.

She’s considered to be one of China’s top diplomats and chief expert of the Academic Committee of China's Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In 2022, she reaffirmed that China cannot accept what she has categorized as an “unfair conclusion” by the Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague on the competing claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.

Tensions between China and the Philippines have intensified in recent weeks after the Feb. 6 incident at the Ayungin Shoal where the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) alleged China Coast Guard of directing a “military grade” laser at some of the Filipino crew aboard BRP Malapascua while on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre.

READ: Envoy insists Chinese ship not equipped with military grade laser

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. summoned Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian to express his concern over the latest incident, but Chinese Foreign Minister spokesman Wang Wenbin denied the presence of the military-grade laser in their ship and said instead the laser was meant to check speed and for navigation safety.

Believed to be a possible flashpoint of military conflict, China claims the entire South China Sea, including territories claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

Related Tags

DFA Enrique Manalo FU YING AYUNGIN SHOAL china military-grade laser 2023 Munich Security Conference
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