Amid South China Sea row, Beijing urges Manila to keep communications open, ‘unaffected by irritants’

Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian urged ‘friendly and peaceful consultations’ between the two nations amid various issues between them in the South China Sea

In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jnr agreed to find a ‘good way’ to resolve the issue

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Journalists onboard a Philippines Coast Guard ship take photos of a China Coast Guard vessel. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:15pm, 22 Sep 2023

China’s top envoy in Manila has called on the Philippines to uphold a consensus between the countries’ leaders by keeping communications with Beijing open, despite the two sides locked in a maritime row in the contested South China Sea.

Ambassador Huang Xilian said bilateral ties should not be defined by tensions surrounding the resource-rich waterway, and the disputes could be managed through “friendly and peaceful consultations”.

“It is imperative that we implement the consensus which between our two heads of state stay friendly in the right direction of our relations and unaffected by irritants,” Huang told a gathering in Manila to celebrate China’s 74th National Day.

Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian addresses a gathering to celebrate the 74th founding anniversary of China, in Manila on Thursday. Photo: Facebook

He said both parties needed to enhance cooperation to ensure that such relations would sail through.

In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jnr during their meeting in Beijing reached a consensus on the vexed issue and agreed to find a “good way” to resolve the problem.

Huang also commended the Chinese-speaking skills of Vice-President Sara Duterte, who delivered a video message in Mandarin at the same event.

“Her excellency, Vice-President Sara Duterte … Thank her so much for the warm message she sent to this occasion, and she does speak very good Chinese,” the diplomat said.

Duterte said she was hoping for more partnerships between the Philippines and China, particularly in the field of education and youth development.