hong kong
CNN
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Filipino counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. They agreed to strengthen economic ties and resume talks on oil exploration, as they seek to revive their economies amid the slowing pandemic and… friction over disputed areas of the South China Sea.
Xi met Marcos Jr. on Wednesday during the Philippine president’s first state visit to Beijing, where the two leaders agreed to “properly manage their differences”, according to a joint statement released Thursday.
The statement said the leaders had a “thorough and frank” discussion on the situation in the South China Sea and “reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region”.
During the talks, Manila and Beijing also agreed to resume talks on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea that were halted last June due to constitutional challenges and sovereignty issues.
Marcos Jr. previously said his country would pursue oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea even without an agreement with Chinawhich Claims nearly all of the 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea as its own, though other territories, including the Philippines, have competing — and sometimes overlapping — claims to some areas.
The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Manila and Beijing, and relations were further strained in December when the Philippine Department of National Defense expressed “great concern” about the presence of Chinese ships in the contested stream.
The Philippines has repeatedly accused Chinese vessels of harassing Filipino fishermen in the area and, in a statement released on WednesdayMarcos Jr. He says he raised the issue with Xi when they met in Beijing.
In the statement, Marcos Jr. Mr. Xi promised to “find a solution” that would allow Filipino fishermen to operate in the Southeast Asian country’s natural fishing grounds.
“We also discussed what we can do to move forward, to avoid possible mistakes, misunderstandings that could trigger a bigger problem than what we already have,” he added.
To this end, the countries have announced their intention to set up a direct line of communication between their maritime departments.
In the statement from the Philippines, Marcos Jr. said Xi pledged to provide assistance to the Philippines, including in the areas of agriculture, infrastructure and maritime security, with the two sides signing a total of 14 bilateral agreements.
Xi also pledged broad cooperation opportunities with the Philippines, including supporting Chinese investment in the Philippines and helping its neighbor develop agricultural technology, basic education, meteorology and space, and science. vaccine research, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
The Philippines has long balanced America’s strategic interest in the Pacific with China’s geopolitical and economic rise.
While the Philippines is a longtime defense ally of the United States, former leader Rodrigo Duterte has sought closer relations with China during his six years in power, putting aside his territorial dispute in exchange for Chinese investments.
Marcos Jr.’s trip to Beijing comes after US Vice President Kamala Harris She visited the Philippines in November, where she reaffirmed Washington’s “unwavering” commitment to her ally.
During this visit, Harris and Marcos Jr. discussed 21 new US-funded projects, including more defense sites around the Philippines.
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