China, Philippines agree to keep talking to ease South China Sea tensions

China and the Philippines have agreed to de-escalate tensions in the disputed South China Sea, following some of the worst clashes in recent history that raised the risks of a wider conflict.

At Tuesday's bilateral consultative mechanism meeting in Manila, the two sides exchanged views "on the situation in the South China Sea", particularly tensions at Second Thomas Shoal, and agreed to continue to manage differences through negotiations.

According to a Chinese foreign ministry statement released late on Tuesday night, "the two sides believe that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is in the interests of both China and the Philippines, and is also the common goal of regional countries".

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The two sides also "agreed to continue to maintain dialogue and consultation ... to control disputes and differences", according to the foreign ministry statement, which described the meeting as "frank and constructive".

Issues covered in the talks included ways to improve the sea-related communication mechanism between the two countries and how to promote dialogue between their coastguards.

The Chinese side urged the Philippines to "immediately stop its infringing and provocative acts in the sea, ... to get back on the right track of settling disputes through dialogue" so as to stabilise bilateral ties, the statement said.

In a separate statement released on Tuesday night, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the two sides made "substantial progress on developing measures to manage the situation at sea, but significant differences remain".

Tuesday's meeting was co-chaired by Chinese vice foreign minister Chen Xiaodong and Philippine foreign affairs undersecretary Theresa Lazaro.

It took place after several rounds of maritime confrontations between the two countries, which raised concerns of a potential wider conflict in the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. The encounters also drew criticism from the US and its allies.

These included an incident at Second Thomas Shoal on June 17 in which the Chinese coastguard intercepted a Philippine naval mission to resupply troops stationed on the disputed reef. Eight Philippine sailors were injured in the subsequent clashes, including one who lost a thumb.

A day later, the US State Department condemned China's "escalatory and irresponsible actions" and reaffirmed Washington's obligation to defend the Philippines under a 1951 treaty.

Officials from the departments of foreign affairs, defence, natural resources, and coastguards also attended Tuesday's talks, according to the Chinese statement.

There have been eight previous meetings of Chinese and Philippine officials under the bilateral mechanism, established in 2017 months after former president Rodrigo Duterte took office.

The mechanism was part of an agreement between Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping after the Philippine leader set aside Manila's international arbitration victory against Beijing's historic claims in the South China Sea.

At the same time, Xi promised to allow Filipino fishermen access to Scarborough Shoal, another disputed part of the South China Sea, and committed economic support to the Philippines.

The two sides last held talks under the consultative mechanism in January. At the meeting in Shanghai, they agreed to "further improve maritime communication and properly manage their differences through consultation".

However, the continuing maritime tensions since the January meeting have raised questions over whether the mechanism can be sustained in the post-Duterte era under his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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