The Philippines and China agreed to improve maritime communication mechanism to properly manage tension in South China Sea through friendly dialogue.

During the eighth Philippines-China Bilateral Consultation mechanism on the South China Sea in Shanghai which was co-chaired by Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong, both countries agreed to implement a consensus 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.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs noted that Lazaro and Nong "had 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," it stated.

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

It also noted that both countries also "agreed to initiate talks on possible academic exchanges on marine scientific research between Filipino and Chinese scientists."

The bilateral consultations between the two countries was conducted amid the recent exchanges between Chinese and Philippine officials after Marcos congratulated Lai for his election victory last week. Robina Asido/DMS