Beijing, Manila set talks on S. China Sea for May
China and the Philippines will hold their first meeting under a bilateral consultation arrangement on the South China Sea in May, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
China has invited officials from the Philippines’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs to attend the meeting in China, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing.
Beijing and Manila are engaged in “friendly discussions” on details of the meeting, she said.
In bilateral diplomatic consultations in January, the two countries agreed to establish two-way consultation on the South China Sea issue. Under the plan, the two foreign ministries will lead discussion on issues of common concern and the promotion of maritime cooperation and security.
Beijing expects to continue strengthening communication with Manila, properly handle differences and promote maritime cooperation in order to build up a healthy environment for the relationship, Hua said.
She also confirmed that China
Some agreements we reached on paper have been translated into action.” Luo Yongkun, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations
has invited a delegation of the Philippine Coast Guard to visit, without giving details.
The event is on a list for cooperation in 2017 decided in February, when the two nations established a joint commission of bilateral coast guard cooperation. The list also includes visits of high-level officials, naval ships, joint exercises and capacity expansion, according to Hua.
Zhao Jianhua, ambassador to the Philippines, told Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte when they met on Monday that representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard have been invited to visit China “to hammer out actions, activities, and new engagementsto ensure that the South China Sea is a sea of cooperation,” Ernesto Abella, the Philippine presidential spokesman, said in a statement.
Duterte plans to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, set for May 14 and 15 in Beijing, officials have said.
Beijing’s relations with Manila made a U-turn after Du te rte assumed office in June 2016. He visited China in October, his first foreign visit beyond ASEAN nations.
Luo Yongkun, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said recent meetings and visits between Beijing and Manila show that“some agreements we reached on paper have been translated into action”.
“We have worried that those agreements might not be implemented due to pressure from other countries. Now there is no need for such concerns,” Luo said.
He said cooperation between Beijing and Manila on solving maritime disputes wills eta good example for other Southeast Asian countries on handling such problems.