China envoy pays courtesy call to Defense chief Teodoro

Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian on Wednesday paid a courtesy call to Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. to discuss China and the Philippines’ defense and military relations as well as maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea (SCS).

This developed a day after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Beijing’s latest aggression towards the Philippine fleet near Ayungin Shoal, part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“I had the pleasure to pay a call on Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. at the Department of National Defense (DND),” Xilian said on Facebook.

“We had a constructive discussion on promoting defense and military relations between China and the Philippines, and maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the envoy added.

According to the DND, the meeting stressed the enhancement of the two countries’ defense relations through the implementation of existing bilateral mechanisms, and dialogue platforms including the Philippines-China Annual Defense and Security Talks.

Teodoro also said during the meeting that the Philippines remains committed in strengthening its defense capability, adding that a strong Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will serve as the “bedrock” for regional stability and resiliency in the force of external threats.

On Wednesday, the PCG said two Chinese coast guard (CCG) vessels made "dangerous maneuvers" that could have caused a collision with PCG ships assisting the resupply mission of the Armed Forces of the Philippines near Ayungin Shoal on June 30.

In 2016, the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, based on a case filed by the Philippines, junked China's nine-dash line claim covering the entire SCS, including the West Philippine Sea. China has since refused to acknowledge the ruling.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News