PH-China talks kick off in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and China kicked off on Friday, October 19 a new round of talks in Manila that Beijing hopes will help make progress in bilateral relations strained by the dispute over Scarborough Shoal.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying met with DFA Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio during the 18th Foreign Ministry Consultations (FMC) between both countries.

Fu will later have a separate meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.

Prior to the meetings in Manila, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that Beijing hopes that with the new round of high-level talks China and the Philippines will “move towards each other” and take “practical steps to make new progress” in their bilateral relations.

The 17th FMC was held in Beijing in January, 4 months before the Philippines and China escalated their territorial dispute over Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

In the past few weeks, tensions have softened since Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas met Chinese Vice President and leader-in waiting Xi Jinping a month ago in Nanning, China.

This will the first time that Del Rosario meets a top Chinese official since Sen Antonio Trillanes IV revealed he was acting as backdoor negotiator with China, keeping the DFA chief out of the loop.

Trillanes’ revelation triggered a spat with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who chided the former rebel soldier for announcing clandestine backchannel efforts.

Enrile met on Thursday with Fu, whom he knows from the time she was ambassador to the Philippines from 1992 to 2000, but neither Scarborough Shoal nor Trillanes — whom Fu allegedly met during the secret talks — were discussed. – Rappler.com