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MANILA- S CHINA
Manila reiterates policy of engagement with Beijing over South China Sea
MANILA, June 2, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) -Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has reiterated President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy of engagement with China over the South China Sea, stressing the need for dialogues to resolve the maritime disputes.
“We don’t want confrontation. We want to talk, to dialogue. Let’s engage (China) because this is diplomacy,” Cayetano made the remarks at a news briefing late Friday, noting that closer trade ties with China are more productive.
Cayetano added that the Philippines will continue to handle the South China Sea issue bilaterally with China, saying that resorting to “megaphone” diplomacy will not solve the disputes.
“We have a bilateral consultative mechanism in place. I want to make it clear that as a policy we do not want war,” Cayetano said, adding that what Manila wants is to “look at the bigger picture” of the full bilateral ties.
BSS/XINHUA/AU/09:20 hrs