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

The Philippines

SCMP’s Asia desk

Published: 7:15pm, 22 Sep 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

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.

South China Sea: could Philippines and Vietnam bond over assertive Beijing?

“We hope that our partnership will prosper especially in the areas of agriculture, trade, investments, science and technology, and people-to-people relations,” she said.

“I take a particular interest in strengthening cooperation in the field of education and youth development. As we undertake efforts to further strengthen our relations, may we continue to pursue avenues and opportunities that will result in mutually beneficial outcomes for our peoples.”

Duterte, who is currently in South Korea to attend an international conference on education, released a video greeting in English as well, ABS-CBN reported.

Philippines not on ‘war footing’ with Beijing despite South China Sea tensions

While both sides showed cordial relations at the gala, Senator Francis Tolentino on Friday recommended that the Philippines tap global experts to evaluate China’s alleged mass destruction of corals in Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal, which Manila claims as its territory.

The environmental degradation has emerged as a fresh flashpoint between the two nations.

Beijing denied it was responsible for causing damage to the marine ecosystem, calling Manila’s assertion “political drama”.

“We urge relevant parties of the Philippines to stop creating a political drama from fiction,” the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

03:06

Beijing faces backlash from neighbours over expanded territorial claims in new official map

It also reiterated that if the Southeast Asian nation “truly cares” about the ecological environment of the South China Sea, it should tow away the “illegally grounded” warship BRP Sierra Madre in an outcrop and stop it from discharging polluted water into the ocean.

The Philippines intentionally grounded the vessel in 1999 to reinforce its sovereignty claim to Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila calls Ayungin.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all the South China Sea – where the Philippines and several other nations have competing claims – and has rejected a 2016 international ruling that found its assertions have no legal basis.