Top China, Philippines envoys to meet for first time since 2024

MANILA - Top diplomats from China and the Philippines are set to meet this week for the first time in two years, as their rift widens from the South China Sea to include Japan and Taiwan.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to meet with Philippine counterpart Ma. Theresa Lazaro on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Manila, according to Dominic Xavier Imperial, spokesman of the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs.“We believe this engagement is very important,” he said at a briefing on July 20.It will cover the bilateral relations between the Philippines and China, as well as the impact of global events on the region and ASEAN, he said.It will be the first meeting between top diplomats from China and the Philippines since 2024, which was also on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting.While it is customary for the ASEAN host country to hold bilateral meetings with visiting officials, the meeting comes at a particularly tense time. Relations between the two have worsened in recent months, as Manila has become more outspoken in its opposition to China’s claims in the South China Sea, aligns further with Japan and has signalled its willingness to get involved in any conflict over Taiwan. Manila also plans to pursue talks on maritime borders with Japan, also drawing Beijing’s ire. Meanwhile, China imposed sanctions on the Philippines’ defence chief in June for what it said were remarks that damaged bilateral ties.The Philippines last week also protested against a “deeply offensive” AI-generated video from Chinese state media, which Beijing said does not represent the government’s position.Manila in 2026 has also repeatedly drawn attention to the 10-year anniversary of it winning a landmark dispute in an international tribunal over South China Sea claims, which Beijing has consistently rejected. Still, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has earlier signalled openness to restarting talks with Beijing on a joint oil and gas project in a disputed area of the South China Sea, after the Iran war disrupted energy flows.US State Secretary Marco Rubio, who is also joining the ASEAN meeting, said he intends to meet with Marcos during his first visit to Manila in his current role. He also said he is open to meeting with Wang while in Manila, but has not finalised anything.The Philippines is a close US ally in Asia, with the two nations bolstering defence ties in recent years. BLOOMBERG