Beijing:<Text>

The Philippine and Chinese foreign ministries recently held talks in Beijing to ease tensions and restore ties after heated public exchanges over the West Philippine Sea. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson for maritime affairs Rogelio Villanueva, in a press conference on Wednesday, said the two sides had an "open and candid exchange of views" on pressing bilateral concerns, including maritime issues.

According to Philippines News Agency, details about the meeting are "confidential," but Villanueva said both sides agreed to explore possible areas of "mutually beneficial cooperation." "These recent meetings are yet another demonstration of the Department's unwavering commitment to protecting national interests. This is consistent with the second core dynamic of maritime statecraft - the proactive effort to keep bilateral and regional channels open," he said.

"This shows our commitment to managing the situation at sea peacefully, fur ther reflected by our mandate to assert and uphold Philippine interests while also seeking common ground where possible," he added. Villanueva admitted that part of the reason why the DFA pushed to hold direct bilateral discussions with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was because of "recent incidents and exchanges between the Chinese Embassy and Philippine officials."

The Philippine side was represented by DFA Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Marshall Louis Alferez, while the Chinese side was led by Chinese Foreign Ministry Asian Affairs Director-General Liu Jinsong, and Boundary and Ocean Affairs Director-General Hou Yanqi. The discussions were held from Feb. 27 to 28, and followed initial talks held in Cebu on Jan. 29. Villanueva clarified that the dialogue is separate from the Philippine-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea, the next meeting of which is still under discussion.

Meanwhile, Villanueva slammed what h e called 'uninformed criticism' of the DFA-negotiated provisional understanding on Ayungin Shoal, which enabled safer rotation and reprovisioning (RORE) missions for troops aboard the BRP Sierra Madre. Finalized in a BCM meeting, the deal has allowed 13 routine RORE missions since July 2024.

Villanueva said the document takes 'full note' of the 2016 Arbitral Award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which define Philippine maritime entitlements in the South China Sea. "There are no valid overlapping maritime claims between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea, and the historic rights derived from the so-called '9-dash line' are without legal effect," he said.

"The Provisional Understanding takes full note of the foregoing, and was drafted specifically to be without prejudice to the Philippines' national position. The Provisional Understanding does not require the Philippines to seek permission to undertake RORE missions, nor doe s it allow boarding and inspection of Philippine vessels, and, above all, it does not concede the Philippines' sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction," he added. He said the Philippines will continue implementing the agreement and expects China "to do the same."