DFA: Open communication key to resolving differences with China

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with outgoing Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian in a farewell call in Malacañang on Thursday, September 25, 2025. — Photo from Bongbong Marcos/Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has called for a more open dialogue between Beijing and Manila amid maritime issues, particularly over the West Philippine Sea, as Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian rounds out his six-year term in the country.

During the commemoration of the 76th National Day of China in Manila, DFA Undersecretary Maria Theresa Dizon-de Vega noted the bilateral duty of both nations “as sovereign equals” to “peacefully manage our differences.”

De Vega spoke on behalf of Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, who is in New York to lead the Philippine delegation to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Under the leadership of Huang, she noted, the DFA was able to pursue Philippine interests through “peaceful means and constructive diplomacy.”

“Even when we have been on opposing sides of an issue, we have not allowed the overall collaborative effort to be fully overshadowed by disagreements or contentions,” de Vega said in her speech during the event on Thursday night, which also marked the exit of Huang from the embassy this year.

De Vega said this was attained through the establishment of a bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea, which she said has opened a channel for more straightforward discussions and “helped reduce tensions in our maritime interaction.”

A “joint consular consultation” was also revived in July to boost coordination for the protection of citizens hosted by the other country.

“We are hopeful that these channels of open communication and meaningful engagement could be replicated in other aspects of our relations,” she said.

Huang, for his part, also touched on the sovereignty disputes between Beijing and Manila, which he said had been managed through diplomatic channels.

“We addressed maritime disputes and differences through diplomatic dialogue, making every effort to inject stability to our bilateral relations,” he said in his speech.

Huang, the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, said he has witnessed the “ups and downs of China-Philippines relations.”

READ: Marcos to outgoing Chinese envoy: We will miss you

The last day of Huang in his post has yet to be announced by the Chinese embassy, but the ambassador noted that he has two more months in service.

The two countries have been entangled in a territorial dispute after China refused to recognize the 2016 decision of an international arbitral nullifying Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea that is well within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.

This has strained the relations between Beijing and Manila, which spans 50 years with the establishment of a joint communiqué in 1975. /das