Vientiane, Laos — China will “respond resolutely” to any violation by the Philippines of a recent deal to calm tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea, its top diplomat told his Filipino counterpart, Beijing said Saturday.
Manila is locked in a longstanding territorial row with Beijing over parts of the strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars worth of trade passes annually.
Last week, the two sides agreed to a “provisional arrangement” for resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, which has been the focus of violent clashes in recent months.
Wang Yi on Friday called on the Philippines to “honor its commitments” under the deal rather than “backtracking or creating complications,” according to a readout of his meeting with Philippine foreign secretary Enrique Manalo at an ASEAN gathering in Laos.
“Otherwise, China will definitely respond resolutely,” he said.
Speaking to reporters late Friday, Manalo said he hoped Beijing would keep its side of the bargain.
“If the parties implement, and we hope China implements the agreement, then we’ll be able to resupply our military personnel on the ship without any obstruction,” he said.
“I think that would be an important step forward in diffusing tensions and hopefully lead to other areas of cooperation on the South China Sea.”
The two diplomats met in Laos capital Vientiane, host of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers meeting that comes amid a time of high tensions over the South China Sea.
Beijing claims the waterway — through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually — almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The clashes have fueled fears of a conflict that could drag in the United States due to its mutual defense treaty with Manila.
US top diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Laos on Saturday for talks with ASEAN foreign ministers and will also meet with Wang.
Blinken has prioritized promoting a “free and open” Asia-Pacific region — a thinly veiled criticism of China’s regional economic, strategic, and territorial ambitions.
