PH, China resume political dialogue after hiatus

CEBU CITY, January 31 ------ The Philippines and China resumed a bilateral political dialogue after “more than a year-long hiatus,” said the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

The meeting, chaired by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Leo Herrera-Lim and Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General for Ocean Affairs Hou Yanqi, was held a day ahead of the next round of negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea between senior officials of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) here.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not provide specific details but said both sides had a candid exchange of views on bilateral relations, maritime-related matters, and regional and international issues of mutual interest. “They underscored the importance of sustained diplomatic dialogue and continued cooperation across all sectors,” it said in a text message to reporters on Thursday night.

In a previous statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said Beijing is “actively facilitating potential cooperation” in clean energy, digital economy, waste-to-energy, agriculture, and poverty reduction. The meeting comes in the wake of a heated exchange between the Chinese Embassy and Filipino officials on the issue of the West Philippine Sea this month. On Thursday, Malacañang said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. supports a “firm with diplomacy” approach in dealing with the word war, which has since escalated to proposals from both the Senate and Congress to declare certain Chinese Embassy officials persona non grata.

Source: pna.gov.ph