Philippine’s Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong meet in Manila. (Photo: Philippine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Philippine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday that Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong had a frank and constructive talk. They discussed national positions on recent incidents in the East Sea and agreed to deescalate tensions without harming their respective positions.

The statement emphasized that there has been significant progress in promoting measures to manage the situation in the East Sea, but differences remain. Both sides recognized the need to restore trust and create favorable conditions for effective dialogues and interactions.

They signed an agreement on improving the Philippines-China Maritime Communication Mechanism and agreed to continue discussions between the two countries' coast guards.