The Philippines Will Not Give Up Fighting For Interests And Sovereignty In The South China Sea

Illustration of the Philippine coast guard ship BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410). (Wikimedia Commons/Philippine Coast Guard Facebook)

JAKARTA - The Philippines and China on Tuesday agreed on the need to "return trust" and "rebuild confidence" to better manage maritime disputes, with Manila saying they would be "hard-headed" in protecting its interests in the South China Sea.

The Philippine Foreign Ministry said it had held an "open and constructive" discussion with China over the South China Sea during the ninth round of talks under their Bilateral Consulting Mechanism, organized by Manila.

The high-level meeting between senior foreign ministry officials follows what the Philippine military described as the "most aggressive" act in recent history by the Chinese Coast Guard against its ships during a routine supply mission last month that left a Filipino seafarer seriously injured.

"There is substantial progress in developing measures to manage the situation at sea, but there are still significant differences," the State Department (DFA) said in a statement.

Manila and Beijing discussed their respective positions related to the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines landed taut warships manned by few crew members, moored in 1999 to strengthen its claim to sovereignty.

Both parties, the DFA said, "reaffirmed their commitment to ease tensions without reducing their respective positions."

"Both parties agreed to continue discussions to find a mutually acceptable solution to the matter," said DFA.

The Philippines and China also agreed to explore the possibility of cooperation between their coast guard and the platform where scientists can collaborate.

"The Philippines will be persistent in protecting its interests and upholding its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdictions in the West Philippine Sea," the DFA said in a statement using a term Manila uses to refer to the waters within its exclusive economic zone.

It is known, Manila has sought wider international support for its maritime claims, by seeking closer ties with countries to advocate for rules-based order that recognize international law.

A Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that China's expansionary claim has no legal basis.

However, the Curtain Country, which declared its actions in the South China Sea legal and professional, has said it does not accept any claims or actions based on the ruling.