China, Philippines agrees to manage South China Sea differences

• China and the Philippines will resume discussions on oil exploration.
• The talks were held during the Philippine President’s state visit to China.
• The disputed South China Sea has strained relations between Beijing and Manila.

In an effort to boost their economies amid the worldwide recession and tension over disputed South China Sea territories, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have decided to deepen economic ties and restart discussions on oil exploration.

During the Philippine President’s first state visit to China, Xi met with Marcos Jr. on Wednesday. According to a joint statement released Thursday, the two leaders decided to “appropriately address disputes.”

The leaders “reaffirmed the significance of maintaining and fostering peace and stability in the region,” according to the statement, after having a “in-depth and open” discussion regarding the situation in the South China Sea.

Manila and Beijing also decided, during the talks, to resume discussions over South China Sea oil and gas exploration that had been put on hold in June owing to constitutional disputes and sovereignty difficulties.

Although other nations, including the Philippines, have competing and occasionally overlapping claims on specific areas of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea, Marcos Jr. previously stated that his nation would continue with oil and gas exploration in the region even in the absence of an agreement with China.

Relations between Manila and Beijing have long been tense over the South China Sea. In December, the Philippines Department of National Defense expressed “grave worry” over the presence of Chinese ships in the disputed waterway.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Marcos Jr. claims he brought up the matter with Xi during their visit in Beijing, despite the Philippines’ persistent accusations that Chinese ships are harassing Filipino fishers in the area.

In the statement, Marcos Jr. claimed that Xi pledged to “find a solution” that would let Filipino fishermen work in the natural fishing areas of the Southeast Asian nation.

“We also discussed what we can do to move forward, to avoid any possible mistakes, misunderstandings that could trigger a bigger problem than what we already have,” he added.

In order to do this, the nations made plans public for establishing a direct line of communication between their maritime departments.

According to Marcos Jr. in the Philippines’ statement, Xi promised to offer the Philippines help in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture, and maritime security, and both countries signed a total of 14 bilateral agreements.

According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi also pledged to open up a wide range of opportunities for cooperation with the Philippines, including support for Chinese investment there and assistance in the development of agricultural technology, elementary education, meteorology, space exploration, and vaccine research.

The Philippines has long sought to strike a balance between China’s geopolitical and economic rise and American strategic interests in the Pacific.

Although the Philippines has traditionally been a security partner of the United States, during his six years in office, former president Rodrigo Duterte sought deeper ties with China, putting aside their territorial dispute in exchange for Chinese investments.

After US Vice President Kamala Harris’ November visit to the Philippines, when she reaffirmed Washington’s “unwavering” commitment to its friend, Marcos Jr.’s journey to Beijing follows.

Harris and Marcos Jr. discussed 21 new projects, including more defense installations in the Philippines, during the visit.

Also Read

China to open Hong Kong’s border after three years

China's Hong Kong border will reopens on January 8. Up to 60,000...