Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian on Thursday asked Philippine officials to follow the “guidance” of President Marcos “instead of any officials” in dealing with the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.
“We need to follow the guidance of the President instead of any officials,” Huang said, in an interview with reporters during the launch of the Manila Chinese Visa Applications Service Center in Makati City.
The Chinese envoy gave the remark after Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. said Manila and China cannot meet halfway in handling their differences unless the latter recognizes the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling favoring the former.
The Chinese official also emphasized the need for the Philippines to abide by the discussions it held with China in the recently concluded Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM).
“Both sides agree to handle maritime disputes through friendly consultations and communications. This is the spirit, not only of the BCM, but also of the two presidents,” he said.
Huang stressed that China and the Philippines should meet halfway to resolve the territorial dispute diplomatically and de-escalate ongoing tensions.
“We expect that both sides will meet halfway to handle the differences in a diplomatic manner and de-escalate the tensions,” Huang said.
In a meeting in Shanghai earlier this month, China and Philippine foreign affairs officials agreed to improve maritime communication and to properly manage conflicts and differences through friendly talks regarding issues around the South China Sea, a portion of which Manila calls the WPS.
During the talks, the two sides reaffirmed that the South China Sea dispute is “not the whole story of bilateral relations.”
The two countries have had numerous confrontations recently in certain disputed waters in the South China Sea, with both trading accusations of provoking conflict in the economic strategic waterway.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has sent four note verbales to China in January 2024 in response to Beijing’s actions in the West Philippine Sea.
