Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) — The Chinese government is urging Philippine officials to remain calm and engage them in discussions to prevent another incident at Ayungin Shoal from happening again.
Diplomatic sources from China said Beijing has taken note of the strong statements of Philippine officials after the water cannon incident last Aug. 5.
Beijing officials also told CNN Philippines that they have submitted a “concept paper” which indicates the “internal understanding” of the two countries in handling the Ayungin issue.
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China said its position on Ayungin Shoal, or Second Thomas Shoal, remains clear and consistent.
“We hope both sides to calm down and meet us halfway to prevent such incidents from happening again,” a Chinese diplomatic source told CNN Philippines.
“We urge the Philippines to stop unilateral actions pending any agreement,” the source added.
China said Manila and Beijing should continue holding dialogues to reduce misunderstandings, and to pursue a path of friendly consultations in managing disputes.
Chinese diplomats noted that properly managing disputes is in line with Philippine interests.
“South China Sea does not define our relations. When we say our position is clear and consistent, we mean it. We propose to resolve our disputes through dialogues,” the diplomatic source added.
China: PH yet to respond on proposal to resolve Ayungin Shoal issues
Another Chinese diplomatic source said there has been no response to the concept paper submitted to the Philippine side.
“No feedback yet from the Department of Foreign Affairs since June,” the source added.
CNN Philippines also reached out to the DFA to get more details on the concept paper proposed by Beijing but it has yet to respond.
In a previous statement, the DFA said Manila demands that Beijing immediately stop its illegal activities in the Philippines’ maritime zones.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs is one with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard in their pursuit of our shared mandate to protect and uphold our legal maritime entitlements. The DFA is making full use of our diplomatic processes and [is] exercising all possible actions available to us,” the department added.
