(UPDATE) THE Philippines and China resumed their political dialogue on Thursday after a more than a yearlong hiatus, holding talks on the sidelines of an Asean meeting amid heightened tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
In separate statements, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Chinese Embassy said DFA Undersecretary for Policy Leo Herrera-Lim met with Hou Yanqi, director general of China's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, during the Senior Officials' Meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
Both sides described the discussions as candid, covering bilateral relations, maritime issues, and regional and international concerns. They underscored the importance of sustained diplomatic engagement and agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic channels. Philippine Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Marshall Louis Alferez also took part in the meeting.
The dialogue comes as tensions continue to simmer in the West Philippine Sea, where the Philippines has repeatedly protested China's aggressive actions, including the use of water cannons, military-grade lasers and blocking maneuvers against Philippine government vessels.
The meeting coincided with broader regional discussions in Cebu City, where Asean foreign ministers and senior officials are holding their first major gathering of the year.
Speaking at an Asean foreign ministers' retreat on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro warned that Southeast Asia faces increasingly complex and interconnected security challenges.
Lazaro cautioned that unilateral actions by states could undermine regional stability, weaken multilateral institutions and erode the rules-based international order.
While she did not name specific countries, she cited mounting tensions in the South China Sea as a major concern.
The Philippines is this year's chairman of the 11-member regional bloc, which is marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, Asean's nonaggression pact.
Lazaro said the treaty's principles of sovereignty, noninterference, peaceful settlement of disputes and renunciation of force remain central to regional peace and stability.