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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 11) – Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana met with his Chinese counterpart at the Philippine Armed Forces headquarters on Friday with an agreement to peacefully resolve the disputes in the South China Sea.
The Philippines was the last stop this week for Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe after visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, three Southeast Asian countries that claim parts of the South China Sea.
Wei also paid a courtesy visit to President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang.
“[W]We must always be guided by our commitments in international law. Each and every one of the disputes must be resolved peacefully in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and all relevant international instruments, “Duterte was quoted as saying by the Palace in a statement.
He added that all “all relevant stakeholders” in the South China Sea should work to stabilize the region.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to oppose Beijing’s “aggressive actions” and stop doing business with companies. Chinese women that Washington had blacklisted for their involvement in illegal activities in the disputed waters.
READ: PH will honor contracts with Chinese companies despite the US blacklist.
The Philippine Department of National Defense initially issued a press release citing some strong words from Lorenzana that the country adheres to the arbitration ruling and will continue to “conduct routine legitimate maritime patrols in the WPS (Western Philippine Sea) and challenging any activity that infringes on the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines. “
The Western Philippine Sea refers to the areas that Manila claims in the South China Sea, a vast global waterway that Beijing insists on owning almost entirely.
An international court in The Hague recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the areas under its exclusive economic zone that China disputes, but the two governments “agreed to disagree” on the landmark ruling to seek cooperation.
The Philippine Department of Defense recalled its press release in an hour. The latest statement does not mention the country’s victory in the arbitration and emphasized that Lorenzana and Wei discussed “how to avoid misunderstandings and resolve differences amicably.”
“They both agreed that peace and stability should be maintained in the SCS,” the statement read. “Both also spoke about the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct at the SCS.”
The code will describe the only allowed actions countries can take in the South China Sea. Critics have noted the slow progress in the talks due to resistance from China, but the Chinese government recently called for the resumption of negotiations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines is the country coordinator for the ASEAN-China dialogue relations until 2021.
The two defense leaders also signed the implementation guidelines for a grant worth 130 million renminbi or more than ₱ 922 million to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the form of equipment for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Lorenzana “expressed optimism that his meeting with General Wei will foster collaboration between the defense establishments of both countries and promote trust and mutual interests for future exchanges on security matters and mutual concern,” the department said.
In addition to defense cooperation, Lorenzana and Wei also exchanged best practices in response to a pandemic at their face-to-face meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
CNN Philippines’ David Santos contributed to this report.
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