China and the Philippines resumed high-level dialogue on Saturday in Quanzhou, Fujian province, through the 11th meeting of the South China Sea bilateral consultation mechanism and the 24th round of China-Philippines Foreign Ministry Consultations. Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Leo M. Herrera-Lim co-chaired the talks, with Beijing urging Manila to match words with actions.
During the South China Sea consultation, China lodged solemn representations over the Philippines' recent maritime infringements, provocations, and public posturing. Beijing urged Manila to return to handling maritime issues through dialogue and consultation to create conditions for stable bilateral relations. The last such consultation was in January 2025, and the foreign ministry talks were the first in over three years.
The two sides discussed cooperation in maritime law enforcement and marine science and technology, making positive progress. They agreed to work with ASEAN members to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct for an early conclusion.
Sun Weidong told Herrera-Lim that China and the Philippines are inseparable neighbors and a stable relationship serves their fundamental interests. China values Manila's desire to stabilize ties and hopes the Philippines will work in the same direction. Herrera-Lim said the Philippines is willing to continue dialogue, build trust, manage differences properly, and reaffirms its one-China policy adherence.
Recently, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed openness to resuming joint oil and gas talks with China, calling a reset inevitable. Xiang Haoyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, views the Quanzhou meetings as crisis management rather than full recovery, driven by Manila's energy pressures amid ongoing maritime frictions.
