PH agenda in talks with China: presence of 'monster ship', coast guard cooperation

Metro Manila, Philippines — The presence of China's so-called “monster” coast guard vessel in the West Philippine Sea will be among key issues that Manila will raise with Beijing during a bilateral meeting tomorrow, Jan. 16.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo confirmed that the bilateral consultative mechanism (BCM) meeting will take place in Xiamen, China. The Philippine delegation will be led by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro.

"What I can say is that they will, of course, be discussing the situation in the region - in the South China Sea, the West Philippine Sea, and including the recent developments and, of course, other issues that should be under discussion for some time, which are aimed at seeing how we can cooperate in certain areas such as in the environment and even possible cooperation between the coast guards of the Philippines and China," Manalo said during an interview with reporters in Taguig City on Wednesday, January 15.

Manalo also confirmed that the presence of China Coast Guard Vessel 5901 — often referred to as the "monster ship" - near the waters off Zambales will likely be addressed during the talks.

"Those are what is normally discussed in the bilateral consultation, especially recent developments or ongoing developments. But as I said, I am not there at the moment, so let’s just wait for the results of the meeting," he said.

Asked if the Philippines will demand the withdrawal of the vessel, Manalo said he did not want to “prejudge the outcome.”

“We will certainly raise the concerns we have,” he said.

PH-China coast guard cooperation

The foreign affairs secretary also said the meeting will explore ways to revive coast guard cooperation.

"We hope to establish means of cooperation and undertake, let’s say, positive activities. But that will have to be agreed in any memorandum of understanding between the two. But it’s cooperative in nature, of course," Manalo said.

"It’s going to be aimed at promoting cooperation," he added.

The Philippines and China take turns hosting the BCM talks, which began in 2017. The last meeting was in China in September.