China urges Philippines to stabilise ties amid maritime row

CHINA called on the Philippines to help create the conditions needed to stabilise and improve bilateral relations as officials concluded two days of talks on their territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Officials held a “candid and in-depth” exchange of views on relations, and international and regional issues, in diplomatic consultations on Saturday in the southeastern city of Quanzhou in Fujian province, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The Philippines said its delegation “firmly reiterated its principled positions and raised concerns over incidents affecting the safety of Filipino personnel and fishermen,” according to a Saturday statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs. 

“Both sides continued to make progress on practical measures that are consistent with Philippine law and policy to increase confidence in the maritime domain,” the department added.

Manila and Beijing are locked in a dispute over the strategic South China Sea waterway, and the last time they held formal talks on the row was in January last year.

The latest meetings came after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signalled openness to restarting talks with Beijing on a joint oil and gas project in a contested area of the South China Sea. Manila is also seeking oil and fertiliser from Beijing after the Iran war disrupted supplies.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said both sides spoke positively about the development of China-Asean relations, and that despite a complex and volatile environment, they would strengthen communication and coordination to advance East Asian cooperation and safeguard regional stability and development.

In a separate statement on Saturday’s talks by the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, China said it lodged a formal protest over what it described as recent Philippine maritime infringements, provocations and inflammatory rhetoric.

It called on Manila to match its words with deeds and return to resolving maritime issues through dialogue and consultation.

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The two sides discussed cooperation in areas such as maritime law enforcement and marine science and technology, and made positive progress, the department added. The two countries reaffirmed commitments to manage maritime tensions through dialogue and to push ahead with South China Sea code-of-conduct talks, it said. BLOOMBERG