DAVAO, Oct 30: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Philippine counterpart, Teodoro Locsin, pledged joint efforts to advance consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Wang Yi, who is on a two day visit to the Philippines said, under the guidance of the leaders of China and the Philippines, and thanks to joint efforts, the situation in the South China Sea is improving and getting more stable, reported Xinhua.
“Countries concerned have returned to the track of dialogue and negotiations and consultations to properly handle the differences, together with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, China and these countries are jointly upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Wang said.
Wang said that China will work together with the Philippines and other concerned ASEAN countries to make new breakthroughs in maritime cooperation.
“China is ready to enhance cooperation with the Philippines and other coastal countries along the South China Sea, strengthen cooperation on environmental protection, scientific research, fishery and search and rescue, so as to enhance trust and deliver more benefit to the peoples of the countries. China is also ready to further discuss with the Philippines about joint development of oil and natural gas in the South China Sea,” Wang said. Wang said that China will work with the Philippines to set up and improve institutions and mechanism for maritime communication. “Now China and the Philippines have increased interactions on the sea. We should work together to build up the mechanism for such interactions,” Wang said, adding that China is ready to set up similar mechanism with other concerned parties to enhance communication and properly handle emergencies. Wang also urged all concerned parties to be vigilant against and prevent interferences and disruptions coming from the outside. “As China and the Philippines and other coastal countries are cooperating to uphold peace and cooperation in the South China Sea, some non-regional countries are doing things completely counter to our efforts,” Wang warned.
“Regional countries need to keep high vigilance against these. We must further enhance our solidarity and work together to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.By this we will not leave any chance to be exploited by any external forces,” Wang said.
China, Philippines pledge to maintain peace and stability in South China Sea