The Philippines and China discussed setting up a “two-track” system that would allow them to cooperate in some areas while separately handling “contentious issues” such as their South China Sea territorial dispute, a Manila envoy said Saturday.
Advertisement
Japan on Friday said the global community should remain firm in its support to an arbitration ruling in favour of the Philippines to stop China’s incursions into other countries’ waters in the South China Sea.
“There was no discussion on that particular aspect except to mention equal fishing rights”, said Ramos.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the sea, through which over $5 trillion in annual trade passes.
Analysts said the consensus reached between Ramos and Fu was crucial to rebuilding confidence between the two countries.
A longtime advocate of closer Philippine-Chinese ties, Ramos said he had discussions with Fu Ying, chair of the foreign affairs committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s communist-controlled legislature.
Relations have been tense following last month’s global ruling that said China’s territorial claim to most of the South China Sea was invalid. Fu also acknowledged Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s willingness to resolve the dispute through talks.
However, asked if he would delve on the topic about the ruling, Ramos previously said in a press conference in Philippine capital Manila that “it is not [him] who will raise that issue”.
“We did not pray for the monetary award and that was not granted”, Carpio said of the July 12 ruling by the PCA at The Hague, on Manila’s 2013 case challenging Beijing’s “excessive” claims under the nine-dash-line that covers almost 90 percent of the South China Sea. Filipino fishermen have also complained of harassment by Chinese government vessels in the Scarborough Shoal.
“We… urge China to make sure that maritime law and security must be completely and uncompromisingly respected”, news broadcaster ABS-CBN quoted him as saying in the southern Philippine city of Davao.
To bolster its claims, China has built artificial islands on seven of the reefs in the Spratly archipelago, topping some of them with runways, radar towers, hangars and bunkers that can be used for military operations.
Those spike from time to time, often in reaction to events surrounding the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Advertisement
Japan on Friday announced it would give the Philippines two new vessels to boost Manila’s capacity to patrol its waters, with the allies facing Chinese aggression in separate maritime disputes.
