South China Sea disputes should not define ties, Philippine leader Marcos tells China’s Xi at Apec
- Ferdinand Marcos Jnr requested Friday’s meeting with Xi Jinping on Apec sidelines to discuss South China Sea issue, Philippine president’s office says
- Run-ins in resource-rich waters have largely marred relations between rival claimants Beijing and Manila, prompting US to renew defence pledge
“But nonetheless, the problems remain and it is something that we will need to continue to communicate to find ways to avoid such incidents,” Marcos told reporters following a meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Apec summit in San Francisco.
The two leaders met on Friday to seek ways to defuse tensions over territorial rights in the busy waterway, where Philippine and Chinese vessels, including coastguard ships, have clashed in recent months.
The run-ins included two collisions near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in October that each side blamed on the other, with Manila summoning the Chinese ambassador.
A statement from Marcos’ office said the president had requested Friday’s talks with Xi. The pull-aside meeting at the George R. Moscone Convention Centre, the venue for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, was also attended by Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi.
Beijing claims almost the whole of the South China Sea under what it calls its historical “nine-dash line”, and a string of confrontations in the waters rich in oil and fish have largely marred relations with rival claimant Manila.
