China, Philippines to manage S. China Sea differences peacefully

The leaders of China and the Philippines have agreed to "appropriately manage differences" over the situation in the South China Sea "through peaceful means," emphasizing that maritime issues "do not comprise the sum total" of bilateral relations, their joint statement showed Thursday.

During their summit talks Wednesday in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed on the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes and reaffirmed the importance of the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, the statement said.

China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, which is rich in natural resources and serves as a critical trade route.

Previous bilateral statements had said the countries seek to address disputes related to the South China Sea through negotiations "by sovereign states directly concerned," reflecting Beijing's desire to prevent interference by other countries including the United States.

But the latest document released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not include such an expression.

The two leaders agreed to resume discussions on joint oil and gas development in the South China Sea at an early date and establish a direct communication mechanism between their foreign ministries, sharing the view that confidence-building measures would contribute to improving mutual trust.

Under the administration of Marcos' predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, the two countries held three years of talks on joint exploration of energy resources in the South China Sea, but the Philippines said last year the negotiations had been terminated amid tensions over overlapping territorial claims in the waters.

© Kyodo News