'Hoping for the best': Philippines confirms South China Sea talks with China in Manila

Even as Beijing accused Manila of “undermining peace and stability” in South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo has confirmed that Chinese and Philippine officials met to discuss the issue related disputed waters on Tuesday.

According to a South China Morning Post report, citing  news portal rappler.com, Manalo said that the first-of-its-kind talks since January were taking place in Manila and said he was “hoping for the best.”

Last week, he expressed hope that discussions between the two countries would help in managing tensions.

Series of conflicts

Throughout this year, the two sides have been engaged in a series of conflicts within the contested waters.

These incidents includes a specific event on June 17, when Chinese coastguards intercepted a Philippine naval mission tasked with delivering supplies to troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal. This interception resulted in clashes during which a Philippine sailor lost a thumb.

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The Chinese intervention marked the first instance since the implementation of new regulations permitting them to conduct “boarding inspections” in waters claimed by China.

Manila asserted that the Chinese coastguards were armed with machetes and knives. Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad described their actions as “deliberate, planned, and escalatory,” labeling them the most aggressive in recent years.

Blame game

Since then, both sides have continued to exchange accusations.

Most recently, Beijing accused the Philippines of “undermining peace and stability” by supplying a stranded coastguard vessel at Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Monday.

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China said it had “followed and supervised the whole process” as three Philippine coastguard vessels “transferred personnel and materials” to the “illegally stranded” ship.

According to the South China Morning Post report, a coastguard statement released on Tuesday afternoon asserted Beijing’s “indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and its adjacent waters, including Xianbin Reef” – the Chinese names for the Spratly chain and the reef.

It also accused the stranded Philippine vessel of “violating China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”, added the report.

It went on to say that the Chinese coastguard would “safeguard rights and enforce the law in the waters under its jurisdiction and resolutely defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

Meanwhile, Manila has accused Beijing of attempting to construct an “artificial island” at Sabina Shoal, located 75 nautical miles (140km) from the Philippine island of Palawan.

China has denied these allegations and expressed concern that the other party is seeking to establish an outpost on the reef.

Over the past few weeks, Beijing has been expanding its presence in the South China Sea.

The 12,000-tonne Ship 5901, believed to be the world’s largest coastguard vessel, has been observed near Second Thomas Shoal and the Philippine-administered Thitu Island. Additionally, the Shandong aircraft carrier has been sighted approximately 200 nautical miles off Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines.

On Tuesday, the Philippine Navy acknowledged the presence of both ships.

With inputs from agencies