Just this January 17, 2024, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong co-chaired the 8th Meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM) with Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro.
In the said meet hed in Shanghai, China, the two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the situation in the South China Sea and related maritime issues.
In attandance were representatives from competent authorities of diplomacy, national defense, natural resources, ecology and environment, transport, agriculture, and coast guard of China and the Philippines.
It was a fruitful meeting with both parties agreeing to unswervingly deliver on the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state.
An important aspect was that both were in agreement in seeing that peace and stability in the South China Sea serves the common interests of China and the Philippines and is also the common goal of countries in the region.
An view of this, both parties reaffirmed that the South China Sea dispute is not the entirety of bilateral relations and believe that maintaining communication and dialogue is essential to maintaining maritime peace and stability in the said region.
They also agreed to further improve the maritime communication mechanism, continue to properly manage maritime disputes and differences through friendly consultation, properly handle maritime emergencies, in particular, the situation on the ground at Ren’ai Jiao, and constantly promote practical maritime cooperation, so as to create favorable conditions for the sound and stable development of China-Philippines relations.
The initial agreement also includes the initiation of possible academic exchanges on marine scientific research.
Prior to this meeting, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and President Xi Jinping met in San Francisco, California in November 2023 which was followed by talks between Philippine Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in December 2023.
Notably, after all these meetings, a report was released on January 21 regarding an alleged harassment of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc.
It is quite surprising that the alleged incident took place as far back as January 12, 202 or five days before the January 17 bilateral consultation which both the Philippines and China reported to be a success, as both agreed on many matters that include reaching a peaceful and amicable agreement on handling maritime issues.
The January 12 incident happened before the 8th Meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM) and I would assume that this and other similar incidents have been covered by the January 17 talks that produced the desired result that would be beneficial for both countries.
Why the said incident was released so belatedly and after reports of success in the Philippines-China meet raises curiosity in the minds of many.
I hope I am wrong but there seems to be a constant attempt to keep both countries at odds.
In the meantime, we need to be really discerning.
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