Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong meets with Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Maria Theresa P. Lazaro in Manila on March 23, 2023. The two co-chaired the 23rd China-Philippines Foreign Ministry Consultations. Photo: Website of Chinese Foreign Ministry

China and the Philippines have reaffirmed their commitment to properly managing differences through friendly consultations and keeping to the general direction of friendship in the first face-to-face talks between the two foreign ministries since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Thursday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong co-chaired the 23rd China-Philippines Foreign Ministry Consultations with Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Maria Theresa P. Lazaro in Manila. 

The two sides agreed to fully implement the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders to continuously deepen cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, energy and people-to-people exchanges to promote both countries' development and rejuvenation, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry press release. 

The two sides also shared the view that it is crucial for countries in the region to maintain strategic autonomy and enhance solidarity and coordination.

In January, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. paid a state visit to China, when the two leaders agreed to set up direct communication channels to handle tensions in the South China Sea. 

China and the Philippines will hold the seventh Bilateral Consultations Mechanism on the South China Sea on Friday, which comes after Marcos Jr. confirmed on Wednesday that the four new military bases granted to American troops would be located in various parts of the Philippines, including in a province facing the South China Sea, Reuters reported.

According to media reports, the Philippines and the US will also carry out their biggest-ever joint military drills from April 11 to 28, which will involve over 17,000 participants from both sides and live-fire exercises in the South China Sea for the first time.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday that defense and security cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability rather than targeting any third party, and suggested that regional countries remain vigilant and avoid being used by the US.

Ge Hongliang, director of the China-ASEAN Maritime Security Research Center at Guangxi University for Nationalities, told the Global Times on Thursday that the Philippines has different themes of cooperation with China and the US.

The US-Philippines enhanced military cooperation in the South China Sea puts additional pressure on China, but Ge also said the dispute over the South China Sea isn't the only topic between China and the Philippines, citing the joint oil and gas exploration agreement as an example. 

China and the Philippines have opened high-level dialogue channels and shared vast space in mutually beneficial cooperation, including in the security area, and the two countries have the willingness and mechanisms to properly manage the marine differences, the expert said.