By Genalyn D. Kabiling
The Philippines and China will hold the second round of bilateral talks in a bid to manage the dispute in the South China Sea in Manila today.
The government is expected to raise concerns about China’s reclamation works in the contested territory during the second bilateral consultation mechanism to be attended by representatives from both foreign ministries. The first bilateral meeting on the South China Sea was held in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China on May 19, 2017.
“We are not being soft on China. There are ongoing bilateral talks as far as contentious South China Sea issues are concerned,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said during a Palace press briefing yesterday.
“The purpose of this BCM is to discuss issues of concern to either side and cooperation in the South China Sea and identify mutually acceptable approaches toward addressing these issues,” Roque said.
Roque said all issues on the South China Sea, including China’s reclamation activities, will be raised by the Philippines during the bilateral talks. “All these issues relevant to South China Sea are being discussed in this mechanism,” he said.