Manila: China and the Philippines held discussions amid tensions in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Teresa Lazaro on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, just days after the two countries accused each other of provoking tensions in disputed territorial areas in the South China Sea.
According to Thai News Agency, the atmosphere before the meeting began was informal. Mr. Wang made a friendly remark, commenting that the two sides were sitting too far apart, as he took his seat opposite Ms. Lazaro, which drew laughter from those in the meeting room before the representatives from both countries began the formal negotiations.
The meeting came after China and the Philippines clashed near the Second Thomas Strait, a disputed area in the South China Sea. Philippine officials said a Philippine navy officer sustained a head injury during the incident, while Beijing retaliated by accusing the Philippines of deliberately provoking the clash.
China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea via its mapped nine-line boundary, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of several countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Indonesia. This has long been a source of conflict and territorial claims among nations in the region.