China and the Philippines "agreed to reinvigorate the platform for coast guard cooperation" as Philippine diplomats "expressed serious concern" over the presence of the Chinese Monster ship near the coast of Zambales during the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM) in Xiamen on Thursday.

According to the DFA, during the BCM "the Philippines expressed serious concern regarding recent incidents in the South China Sea,

particularly the activities of CCG 5901 and CCG 3103 in Philippine maritime zones that are inconsistent with the 1982 UNCLOS and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act."

CCG 5901 is the 165-meter ''Monster'' ship, said to be the biggest in the world.

It said Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong who led the bilateral meeting had a ''frank and constructive discussions on the situation in the South China Sea and other bilateral issues."

“Our position is clear and consistent, but so is our willingness to engage in dialogue. We firmly believe that despite the unresolved challenges and differences, there is genuine space for diplomatic and pragmatic cooperation in dealing with our issues in the South China Sea," Lazaro said.

The DFA noted that "the two sides also identified ocean meteorology as an area of focus for a workshop on marine scientific cooperation".

Both countries also agreed to continue the implementation of the Provisional Understanding on the Philippines’ rotation and reprovisioning (RORE) missions to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal acknowledging its positive outcomes to sustain the de-escalation of tensions in the South China Sea. Robina Asido/DMS