The Department of Foreign Affairs has announced that Philippines and China has convened the 8th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea in Shanghai, China.

This is pursuant to the agreement reached between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last November 2023 to ease and manage tensions in the South China Sea that was followed by a phone call between Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yu in December 2023.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong had a frank and productive discussions to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and both sides agreed to calmly deal with incidents, if any, through diplomacy. They also agreed that continuous dialogue is important to keep peace and stability at sea.

Both sides presented their respective positions on the Ayungin Shoal and assured each other of their mutual commitment to avoid escalation of tensions.

The Philippines and China agreed to improve maritime communication mechanism in the South China Sea that includes communications between foreign ministries and coast guards of the two countries.

The Philippines and China have also agreed to initiate talks on possible academic exchanges on marine scientific research between Filipino and Chinese scientists.

Photo: Department of Foreign Affairs FB