BEIJING (Reuters) — China and the Philippines agreed to improve maritime communication and to properly manage conflicts and differences through friendly talks in regard to issues around the South China Sea, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro held a frank and in-depth exchange of views on the situation while co-chairing the eighth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea in Shanghai, according to the statement released late on Wednesday.
In the talks, the two sides reaffirmed that the South China Sea dispute is “not the whole story of bilateral relations.”
The two countries have had numerous confrontations recently in certain disputed waters in the South China Sea, with both trading accusations of provoking conflict in the economically strategic waterway.
Beijing…
