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MANILA, Jan. 23 (AP) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday he has proposed to China that the foreign ministers of the two countries hold talks to quickly resolve any new conflict in the disputed South China Sea, blaming China for its actions. is divisive.
In an interview with Philippine Television Network, Marcos said Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to his proposal during talks in Beijing earlier this month and the two sides were finalizing details of such an arrangement.
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Chinese officials had no immediate reaction.
China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, have been locked in an increasingly tense standoff over overlapping claims over the busy and resource-rich waterway, seen as a potential Asian flashpoint.
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In 2017, the two Asian neighbors launched regular diplomatic talks, known as bilateral consultation mechanisms, to discuss incidents in the disputed waters and prevent escalation, while discussing other aspects of their relationship.
Despite the talks, clashes have continued, including a recent reported incident by Filipino fishermen who accused the Chinese coast guard of driving them away from the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal (also claimed by Beijing) before their boats left the disputed Zone time follows January 9th. The incident came days after Marcos visited China and met with Xi Jinping.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it had deployed more patrol boats to protect Filipino fishermen after the incident.
Marcos said he proposed to Xi during his meeting in Beijing that their top diplomats lead a bilateral consultation mechanism currently run by mid-level diplomats to allow for a more rapid response to future conflicts in the disputed waters.
“My proposal is that we take this bilateral group to a higher level,” Marcos said, adding that he would also invite the Philippine ambassador to China to participate in higher-level talks.
“I assure you that if any decision needs to be made, either of those two gentlemen can pick up the phone and talk to me and we will make a decision within five minutes.”
Marcos said Xi agreed with his proposal and asked China’s foreign minister to discuss the new arrangement with Philippine officials.
“I think if President Xi orders us not to do it anymore, we’ll do something else,” then I think it will. I think the chain of command is pretty solid,” Marcos said. “We’re going to be able to report any violations of any agreements we’ve made. “
It remains to be seen whether China will ease its increasingly aggressive actions in the contested waters and back off from any new conflict. Beijing has rejected and continues to defy a 2016 ruling by a U.N.-backed arbitration tribunal that invalidated its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds.
Marcos suggested that China needs to change its actions to prevent future conflict. “I think the real action that needs to be taken is from the Chinese side, because we’re not going to send Coast Guard ships into what we think are their waters or into international waters. They stay in Philippine waters.”
“What they do is follow our fishing boats,” he said. He added that the Philippines would continue to exercise its right to lodge diplomatic protests against China, despite his proposal for higher-level talks aimed at quickly resolving future maritime conflicts. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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