Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning on Friday said China and the Philippines agreed to manage differences in the sea through communication and negotiation to achieve stability.
This was the outcome of the 8th Meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism on the South China Sea held in Shanghai on Thursday (Jan 18).
“I would like to emphasize that China and the Philippines agreed to implement the joint agreement the two heads of state have reached on maritime issues by continuing to manage maritime differences and disputes through friendly consultations,” Mao Ning told media in Beijing, China.
The meeting was attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Nong Rong and Philippine Vice Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro.
“The two sides also agreed to promote practical maritime cooperation and jointly uphold maritime peace and stability at sea,” Mao Ning added.
Other common ground was also reached in maritime communication mechanisms, coast guard cooperation, marine science and technology, and other fields.
The meeting between Nong and Lazaro was said to be constructive, straightforward and frank. The term is often used by diplomats to refer to meetings that are filled with tension and differences of opinion. Nevertheless, the parties to the meeting agreed to continue the dialog.
The Beijing-Manila dispute is part of the mutual claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam also have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost all of the waters by calling it the “Nine-Dash Line” area, which is China’s historical military territory that includes parts of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In the last two months of 2023, there were tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea almost every week, including involving a third party, the United States (US), which conducted military exercises with the Philippine Navy in these waters.
The Philippine government, a close US ally, allows the US military presence in four bases in the country, allowing them to go head-to-head with the Chinese military, which has an active presence in the South China Sea and even casts a shadow over Taiwan.
The Philippines has also stationed the warship BRP Sierra Madre as a “floating base” since 1999 for the Philippine coast guard near the reef island China calls “Ren’ai Jiao”.
“Ren’ai Jiao” is referred to by the Philippines as “Ayungin Shoals” which is part of the Spratly Islands disputed by both countries, as well as several other Southeast Asian countries.
Indeed, since 1997, ASEAN countries and China agreed on a Declaration of Conduct (DOC) in 2002. That year, a Code of Conduct (COC) was negotiated, marking the first time China accepted a multilateral agreement on the issue.
After 17 years of negotiations, ASEAN-China agreed on a text to be negotiated and started in 2019. However, in 2020-2021, the negotiations were halted due to the pandemic, so it was not until 2022 that the negotiations resumed.
In November 2023, the Philippines proposed a new COC for stability and peace in the disputed South China Sea region.
Manila’s proposal came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was concerned about the prolonged negotiations between ASEAN and China on a COC in the South China Sea.