The Philippines on Tuesday, July 2, told China that it is going to be relentless in upholding its rights over the West Philippine Sea as diplomats of both sides held a discussion, the first since reports of Beijing’s successive acts of aggression in the waters escalated.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said DFA Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong sat down in Manila for the 9th meeting of Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM).
The discussion was frank and constructive, according to DFA.
“In her comments, Undersecretary Lazaro underscored to her counterpart that the Philippines will be relentless in protecting its interests and upholding its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,” DFA said
Both Lazaro and Chen noted the recent incidents in the waters and discussed their respective positions on Ayungin Shoal.
So they saw the need to restore trust, rebuild confidence and create conditions conducive to productive dialogue and interaction, according to DFA.
They also affirmed their commitment to de-escalate tensions “without prejudice to their respective positions,” it added.
Meanwhile, the DFA also disclosed that there was already substantial progress on developing measures to manage the situation at sea.
Although “significant differences remain,” both sides agreed to continue discussions to find a mutually-acceptable resolution to the issues, the DFA said.
The Philippines and China also signed the Arrangement on Improving Philippines-China Maritime Communication Mechanisms and agreed to discuss how to operationalize this mechanism as they recalled the outcomes of the 8th BCM that highlighted the need to strengthen the bilateral maritime communication mechanism on the South China Sea.
“Both sides agreed that continued dialogue on the basis of mutual respect as two equal sovereign states facilitates peace and stability at sea, and committed to having the 10th BCM in China to sustain the positive momentum on discussions,” DFA added.