Conflict In The South China Sea Makes China-Philippine Relations At Road Intersections

Chinese President Xi Jinping with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Wikimedia Commons/OPS-OIC Undersecretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil)

JAKARTA - China asked the Philippines to "consider seriously the future" relations that "at the crossroads" in Monday's comments published by the People's Daily, the ruling Communist Party newspaper, amid tensions over the South China Sea issue.

The Philippines and China have accused each other of deliberately crashing into the coast guard ship in the disputed waterway in recent months, including clashes in June that caused a Filipino seafarer to lose his finger.

The incident overshadowed the efforts of the two countries to rebuild trust and better manage confrontations, including preparing new lines of communication to improve the handling of maritime disputes.

"China-Philippine relations are at a crossroads, facing which path options to take," the comment said.

"Dialogue and consultation are the right path, because there is no way out of conflict through confrontation," he continued.

Manila "must seriously consider the future of China-Philippine relations and work closely with China to encourage bilateral relations back on track," the report added.

In his comments on Monday, China blamed the Philippines for "what it calls a "humanitarian" issue that caused Filipino sailors on board the ship China considered an "illegally stranded ship" near Sabina Shoal to have no access to supply, adding that "people on board are actually allowed to leave."

The comment was published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng", meaning "Chinese Sound", which is often used to convey the newspaper's views on foreign policy issues.

Beijing is known to claim almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Some of these waterways, through which trade is worth $3 trillion annually, are believed to be rich in natural oil and gas deposits, as well as fish stocks.

A Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled China's broad claim to have no legal basis, a ruling Beijing rejected.

In June, the United States reaffirmed its commitment to Philippine security, after Manila accused China of committing "deliberate measures" to stop the resupply of disputed Philippine troops at the Second Thomas Shoal.