(Beijing) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned his Philippine counterpart that Manila must “act with caution” after a series of incidents at sea between the two countries linked to their territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Relations between the two countries “are at a turning point. Faced with choosing which direction to take, the Philippines must act with caution,” according to Mr. Wang’s verbatim statement sent by his ministry.
In a telephone conversation Wednesday with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo, Wang said their two countries were facing “serious difficulties” and held Manila responsible for the situation, according to the same report sent by Beijing. .
“The original reason is that the Philippines changed its political position, reneged on its own commitments, continued to provoke and cause trouble at sea, and undermine China’s legal rights,” according to the verbatim.
“We had a frank and sincere exchange and at the end of our call we had a clearer understanding of our respective positions on a number of issues,” commented Mr. Manalo, according to the Philippine report. of this interview.
“We both stressed the importance of dialogue” to address these subjects, again according to Mr. Manalo.
Ten days ago, Manila summoned the Chinese ambassador and raised the possibility of expelling him after new confrontations between ships from the two countries in the South China Sea, the most tense in recent years.
According to videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese ships fired water cannons on December 10 at Philippine boats on a resupply mission.
A collision between a Philippine ship and a Chinese coast guard boat also occurred the same day, with both countries blaming each other for the incident.
Beijing believes it has “historic rights” to almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of neighboring countries, and has ignored an international tribunal ruling in 2016 that rejected its claims by considering them to be devoid of legal basis.
Faced with China’s increasingly vehement territorial claims, as well as its growing influence and military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific, Manila has notably concluded military agreements this year with the United States and Australia, and has agreed to begin negotiations to this effect with Japan.