China and Philippines agree to keep talking after ‘candid’ Sabina Shoal discussions
Conciliatory tone contrasts with rising tensions between the two countries’ coastguards and naval vessels in disputed waters
China and the Philippines described their latest round of high-level maritime talks as “candid”, with both sides agreeing to continue conversations.
China’s foreign affairs vice-minister Chen Xiaodong and Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine undersecretary for foreign affairs, met in Beijing on Tuesday for the 10th cycle of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism.
The mechanism was established in May 2017 as a platform to discuss issues of mutual concern in the South China Sea and explore possible areas of cooperation. The most recent previous meeting was held in Manila in July.
According to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, both sides agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic channels.
Discussions covered the disputed Sabina Shoal, where the Philippine coastguard deployed the BRP Teresa Magbanua four months ago, claiming that China was carrying out reclamation around the shoal, the statement said.
The disagreement at Sabina Shoal has shifted focus from another South China Sea flashpoint between Manila and Beijing – the World War II-era BRP Sierra Madre that serves as a Philippine outpost at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.
“The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the maritime issues between China and the Philippines, in particular the issue of Xianbin Jiao,” – the Chinese name for Sabina Shoal, which is known in the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal.
