South China Sea: hotlines exist, but Philippines says Beijing ‘does not answer’

Sources say there is communication only during search and rescue operations, despite Marcos Jnr’s request last year for a new hotline

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A Chinese coastguard member holds an axe as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP

Published: 5:45pm, 17 Jul 2024Updated: 6:36pm, 17 Jul 2024

Hotlines to avert clashes in the South China Sea already exist, but Beijing does not answer calls, according to Philippine government sources familiar with such mechanisms, after news emerged China was willing to consider a communication between the two heads of states so “nothing will be lost in translation”.

Examples cited by sources include cases in recent months when the Philippine side attempted to contact their Chinese counterparts over clashes in the Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

The Associated Press on Tuesday reported Manila and Beijing recently signed an agreement to establish a hotline between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

This was after both countries sat down on July 2 and signed the “Arrangement on Improving Philippines-China Maritime Communication Mechanisms”, agreeing to “discuss further how to operationalise this mechanism,” according to a statement issued by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that same day.

A Philippine resupply vessel is hit by Chinese coastguard water cannons, causing injuries to multiple crew members, as they tried to enter the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on March 5, 2024. Photo: AP

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) had also issued a separate statement on the 9th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism meeting on the South China Sea and confirmed that “the two sides also had an exchange on improving the maritime communication mechanism, promoting the dialogue between the coastguard of the two countries”.