Philippines, China hold 'frank' talks on Sabina Shoal

BEIJING—China's vice foreign minister and his Philippine counterpart have had a "frank and in-depth" exchange on sea-related issues, in particular the issue of the Sabina Shoal, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

During their meeting, China reiterated its demand for the immediate withdrawal of a Philippine vessel and vowed to "firmly uphold its sovereignty", the ministry statement showed.

Both countries agreed to continue their dialogue through diplomatic channels.

Xianbin Reef, also known as Sabina Shoal, is in disputed waters of the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands.

The Philippines refers to Sabina as the Escoda Shoal.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. The countries have clashed over competing claims at several atolls in the sea, through which $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually.

China has been urging the Philippines to remove BRP Terera Magbanua from the Escoda Shoal as its presence supposedly violated Chinese sovereignty.

BRP Teresa Magbanua has been stationed in Escoda Shoal since April amid reports of China’s reclamation activities in the area.

The Chinese foreign ministry recently lodged a formal protest over the presence of Philippine ship BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal.

Escoda Shoal is located 75 nautical miles or about 140 kilometers off Palawan and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Tensions continue amid China’s massive claim in the South China Sea (SCS), including the portion the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea.

The SCS is a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Aside from the Philippines, China has overlapping claims in the area with Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has not recognized the decision.

On Wednesday, the Philippine Navy said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had contingencies in place in case China tries to tow the Philippine Coast Guard vessel.

“One of the options yan na pwedeng gawin ng kabilang side is hatakin yan,” Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad told Super Radyo dzBB.

(One of the options is for the other side to tow it.)

“But there are already contingencies in place na alam din naman ng ating Western Command what to do if in case this would escalate,” he added.

(But there are already contingencies in place that our Western Command also knows what to do in case this escalates.)  —Reuters with a report from GMA Integrated News