Chinese, Philippine officials to meet on South China Sea issue

Chinese and Philippine officials will meet to discuss the South China Sea issue later this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily press briefing on Tuesday.

The third meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea, scheduled on Oct. 18, will be held in China. The two sides are to exchange views over the current situation in the region as well as each other’s concerns, and deepening maritime cooperation including joint oil and gas exploration, according to the spokesperson.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

"The delegations of the two sides will be headed by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo, respectively," Lu said, adding that the attendees will include officials from sectors such as national defense, natural resources and environmental conservation, fishery, transportation, energy, and coast guard.

Early in 2017, China and the Philippines established the BCM, choosing to settle maritime issues through negotiation.

"Thanks to this platform, the two countries have made positive progress in properly settling divergences, forestalling and managing maritime incidents, and advancing pragmatic maritime cooperation," Lu added.

"We believe that the success of the meeting will contribute to the sound development of China-Philippines relations as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea," Lu said.