MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines and China agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite their disagreements in the South China Sea, their foreign ministries said on Thursday, as heated rows persist over vessels deployed around disputed features.
The two countries on Thursday held a 10th round of talks under a bilateral consultation mechanism set up to address issues in the South China Sea, where disputes have been frequent and tense, with ties at their lowest point in years.
Both countries said they agreed to advance coast guard and marine scientific cooperation and pledged to resolve issues peacefully.
“We firmly believe that despite the unresolved challenges and differences, there is genuine space for diplomatic and pragmatic cooperation in dealing with our issues in the South China Sea,” Philippine foreign affairs Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro said in her opening remarks, according to a statement.
China said it called on the Philippines to remain committed to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation.
Both agreed to boost communication and deepen dialogue, but also called out each other out over recent standoffs.
U.S. ally the Philippines said it had expressed serious concern about the conduct of China’s coast guard, including its sustained presence in Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
China, for its part, said it lodged complaints over recent “maritime infringements and provocations” and for “hyping up” maritime disputes.
China’s expansive territorial claims in the key maritime trade route overlap with the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal said Beijing’s claims, based on its historic maps, have no basis under international law, a decision China does not recognise.
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema in Manila and Ethan Wang in Beijing; Editing by Martin Petty)
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