Diplomats from the Philippines and China have agreed to enhance communication with regards to the South China Sea issue as tension continues to rise between the two countries due to various incidents at sea.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong on Tuesday, July 2, met in Manila for the 9th Meeting of their Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM), where they had a frank and constructive discussion about their respective countries' perspective on the sea row.
It was so far the highest level meeting between officials of both sides since China's reported successive aggression of Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea, which even led to dismemberment of a Filipino troop's finger.
Lazaro and Chen signed the Arrangement on Improving Philippines-China Maritime Communication Mechanisms and agreed to discuss how to operationalize such a mechanism as they saw the need to strengthen communication on the South China Sea, according to DFA.
China's Foreign Ministry also disclosed that the two sides talked about promoting maritime communication mechanism between their respective Coast Guards as well as advancing ties in marine science and technology and environmental protection, among others.
"The two sides believe that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea serves the interests of both China and the Philippines, and is also the common goal of countries in the region," China's Foreign Ministry said.
"Noting recent incidents in the South China Sea, both sides recognized that there is a need to restore trust, rebuild confidence, and create conditions conducive to productive dialogue and interaction," the DFA added.
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, said Tuesday night at the reception of US Independence Day that discussions such as the BCM "will help open the doors for bilateral talks," considering various incidents in the West Philippine Sea.
But he said, "it has to be backed up with actions and sincerity."
DFA said diplomats from both sides agreed that continued dialogue on the basis of mutual respect as two equal sovereign states facilitates peace and stability at sea.
They also committed to having the 10th BCM in China to sustain the positive momentum on discussions.