January 16, 2025 | 7:18pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines used its latest maritime talks with China to directly condemn the rotating fleet of Chinese Coast Guard vessels patrolling unusually close to Zambales since early January.
Neither party also budged from their positions on the South China Sea dispute but agreed to “reinvigorate” coast guard cooperation and explore joint research in ocean meteorology, according to a statement by the Department of Foreign Affairs after the bilateral meeting on Thursday, January 16.
The meeting — called the bilateral consultation mechanism — is the tenth of its kind between the Philippines and China. It’s the primary diplomatic forum where Manila and Beijing address South China Sea tensions.
The last such talks were held in July 2024, when both parties reached a provisional arrangement on the Philippines’ resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
At the talks in Xiamen, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro raised “serious concerns” about CCG 5901 — China’s 165-meter “monster ship” — and CCG 3103 operating within Philippine maritime zones in violation of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the United Nations Convention on the Law, according to the DFA statement.
The DFA said Lazaro and her counterpart in Beijing, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Ziaodong, had “frank and constructive discussions on the situation in the South China Sea and other bilateral issues. The statement did not mention any commitment from Beijing to end its nearly two-week presence near Zambales.
“Our position is clear and consistent, but so is our willingness to engage in dialogue. We firmly believe that despite the unresolved challenges and differences, there is genuine space for diplomatic and pragmatic cooperation in dealing with our issues in the South China Sea,” Lazaro said.
China’s largest coast guard vessel — dubbed the “monster ship” — appeared off Zambales on January 4, setting off a two-week maritime standoff in waters unusually close to Philippine shores. Two other Chinese vessels, CCG 3103 and CCG 3304, took turns patrolling just 70-90 nautical miles from the coastline, an area that hasn’t previously seen such presence from the CCG.
Philippine authorities said they were surprised by Beijing’s “increasing aggression.” They have tagged the presence of China’s vessels as a clear act of escalation.
The PCG has since deployed its flagship vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to circle and attempt to drive off the CCG vessels.
China has defended its actions by claiming its CCG’s patrols were being done in “relevant waters, which is lawful, justified and beyond reproach.”
During the bilateral talks on Thursday, both sides also exchanged views on the earlier agreement reached regarding the resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. The two countries’ diplomats “acknowledged its positive outcomes, and agreed to continue its implementation to sustain the de-escalation of tensions without prejudice to respective national positions,” according to the DFA.
Both parties also “agreed to reinvigorate the platform for coast guard cooperation” and consider exploring ocean meteorology as an “area of focus for a workshop on marine scientific cooperation.”
“Undersecretary Lazaro underscored that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has emphasized the Philippines’ commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy,” the DFA said.
The meeting with the Chinese vice foreign minister was held in Xiamen, Fujian province — the ancestral hometown of several Chinese Filipinos. The Philippines will host the next round of consultations, though no date has been set.
The Philippines on Monday, January 13 filed another diplomatic protest against China over the activities of the CCG in its exclusive economic zone.
Beijing has continued to press its claims to almost the entire South China Sea despite an international tribunal ruling in 2016 that nullified its claim of historic rights over the waters.
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