Anadolu staff
22 July 2026•Update: 22 July 2026
Top diplomats of China and the Philippines met in Manila on Wednesday amid ongoing maritime tensions between the two countries in the disputed South China Sea.
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Philippine counterpart, Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, met on the sidelines of a summit of top diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Philippines is the current chair of the 11-member bloc, and China is an ASEAN dialogue partner.
Footage aired by local broadcasters showed Wang and Lazaro shaking hands in a cordial mood.
It marked the first ministerial meeting between the two countries in two years.
The meeting came as the two maritime neighbors accused each other of trespassing and provocation at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ren'ai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines.
The Philippines last Friday also lodged a formal protest with Beijing over what Manila described as a "racist depiction of Filipinos" by the Chinese state-run news outlet China Daily.
The video apparently depicted a monkey in reference to the Philippines.
Beijing said it was "not an act of the government."
Manila reiterates protest
Wang and Lazaro engaged in “candid, comprehensive and constructive discussion” on the overall state of Philippines-China relations, according to a statement by the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs.
It said they discussed political and security matters, maritime and law enforcement issues, regional and international developments.
Lazaro reiterated, however, the Philippines’ “strong protest” about clashes at the disputed shoal, which Manila said wounded a Filipino navy personnel, and about an apparent monkey caricature by the Chinese outlet.
Reiterating the Philippines’ “principled positions” on the South China Sea, she raised “concerns over actions that have infringed on the maritime rights and entitlements, including incidents affecting the safety of Filipino personnel and fishermen.”
“Disagreements over legal and political issues do not justify resorting to disturbing imagery,” she said.
Stressing Manila was adhering to the one-China policy, Lazaro emphasized the “need to exercise restraint, avoid actions that increase tensions, and resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.”
Ties at cross roads, says Wang
China-Philippines relations “now stand at a crossroads,” Wang told Lazaro, adding that “it falls to the Philippine side to make correct, rational decisions about the path ahead.”
He reiterated China’s “strong protest” against the “reckless conduct” of Philippine personnel Monday in the disputed waters.
“China-Philippines relations have been beset by persistent difficulties and challenges over the past few years, which is clearly in neither side's interest,” said Wang.
He blamed Manila for “turning itself into a source of disruption to regional peace and stability,” Chinese state-run Xinhua News reported.
“Facts have proven that allowing external forces to meddle in regional affairs and deliberately hyping up maritime disputes will only reduce the Philippines to a pawn manipulated by others,” Wang told his counterpart.
“Any attempt at provocation backed by external countries will ultimately leave the Philippines bearing the bitter consequences of its own making,” he warned.
China and the Philippines have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, a key waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade pass each year.
