(Eagle News) — Both the Philippines and China have reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting regional peace and stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight in the South China Sea.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the reaffirmation, which takes place following reports the Philippines had filed a diplomatic protest against China over the presence of its vessels near Pagasa Island, was made during the Fourth Meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea from April 2 to 3 in Manila.
The Philippine side was led by Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Meynardo LB. Montealegre of the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs and the Chinese delegation, while the Chinese side was led by Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou.
According to the DFA, both sides “reiterated their commitment to address disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” even as they “raised specific issues and recent developments and actions in the South China Sea which have raised concerns to either side.”
The DFA said the two sides agreed that “while the contentious issues in the South China Sea should not be ignored, they are “not the sum total of the Philippines-China relations and should not exclude mutually beneficial cooperation in other fields.”
“Both sides had a productive exchange of views on ways to enhance maritime cooperation in areas such as on recent developments in the South China Sea carrying political and security implications, maritime search and rescue, maritime safety, marine environmental protection/marine scientific research, and fisheries in relevant Working Group meetings under the framework of the BCM. Without prejudice to their respective positions on sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, both sides exchanged views on oil and gas development,” the DFA said.
The DFA said the two parties “proposed ways to address” concerns “in a cooperative manner” and “recognized the importance of other complementary multilateral platforms, including ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, ASEAN Regional Forum, and East Asia Summit, in promoting peace and stability in the region.”
“Both sides reiterated their commitments to full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and agreed to maintain the positive momentum of the negotiations towards the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, based on consensus,” the DFA said.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate and to continue to find ways forward to strengthen mutual trust and confidence,” the DFA added.
The Fifth Meeting of the BCM will be held in China in the second half of 2019.