Marcos' guidance must be followed in WPS issue — Chinese envoy

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said Thursday, Jan. 25, that it must be President Marcos' guidelines in handling the West Philippine Sea row that must be followed and not of any other official.

His pronouncement was made in the context of strong positions always made by Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro on the South China Sea issue.

Teodoro believed Manila and Beijing would not be able to meet halfway in their disagreement on sovereignty and territorial integrity—a stark contrast to the position of Marcos, who has been pushing for more dialogues to settle dispute.

The defense chief also raised the possibility of a "spillover effect" because of the sea row, which he attributed to China's encroachment on the waters.

"We need to follow the guidance of the President instead of any official," Huang said in an interview during the launching of the Chinese Visa Application Center.

Huang was confident that both sides could manage their differences, which was already proven true by the recent Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea between Manila and Beijing.

"The BCM meeting focused on how to handle properly the maritime issues. So both sides agreed to handle maritime disputes through friendly consultations and communications," he said.

"So, I think this is the spirit that, you know, not only of the BCM but also the two Presidents'...We expect that both sdies would meet in halfway... to de-escalate the tension," he added.