China, Philippines agree to maintain dialogue

Fu: China and the Philippines view one another as important neighbors

China and the Philippines on Friday agreed to maintain dialogue to solve disputes as high-ranking officials from both sides finally met in Manila, six months after the issue over Huangyan Island erupted in April.

Experts said the consultation sent a positive signal regarding Beijing-Manila ties, warning that strained bilateral relations between the two countries will harm both.

Visiting the Philippines for the 18th Foreign Ministry Consultations, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Fu Ying said China and the Philippines agreed to maintain dialogue and properly address differences, so that any negative effect on bilateral cooperation could be avoided, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Fu met Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario and co-hosted the consultations with Philippine Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda Basilio in the morning.

China and the Philippines view one another as important neighbors who share a long history of friendly exchanges, Fu was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Both countries realized that strained ties, damaged by the Huangyan Island issue, are not good for China or the Philippines, said Zhang Jiuhuan, former Chinese ambassador to Thailand and Singapore.

He added that the consultations will play a positive role in bilateral relations, although one meeting alone cannot solve the territorial issue.

"The two sides agreed to work together to implement the consensus reached between leaders of the two countries and promote bilateral exchanges at all levels in the areas of economy, trade, science and technology, law enforcement and people-to-people exchanges," Fu told Xinhua.

Efforts should also be made to continue exchange programs in the "Years of Friendly Exchanges between China and the Philippines in 2012-2013", in order to push ahead with healthy and stable development between the two countries, she added.

During her visit, Fu also met Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on Friday afternoon.

She told the president that China wants to improve relations with the Philippines, following the strain in relations over the territorial issue in the South China Sea, according to The Associated Press.

A Philippine statement said she carried a message from President Hu Jintao that China places great importance on its friendship with the Philippines and wants to move relations forward, said the AP.

According to the AP, Aquino told Fu that Manila wants a peaceful region and wants to find solutions to issues of common concern.

Luo Yongkun, an expert on Southeast Asian studies with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said Manila is sending a positive signal to China, but it will not give in on the Huangyan Island issue.

The fact that the Philippines is one of Washington's allies in the Asia-Pacific region, and will be continuously influenced by Washington's pivot to the region, should not be ignored, Zhang said.