Outsiders urged to remain neutral, objective
Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte has told China's ambassador to Manila that he is willing to improve ties with Beijing, as Chinese diplomats urged nations outside the region to be hands-off and respect the efforts of the countries involved to resolve the issue.
Duterte, who will be sworn in on June 30, met on Monday in Davao City with Zhao Jianhua, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines. The meeting followed Duterte's remark on Sunday that he is willing to have bilateral talks with China over the disputes in the South China Sea.
Zhao told reporters after the meeting that Duterte has expressed his willingness to improve and develop relations between China and the Philippines, and to strengthen bilateral cooperation to benefit the people of both countries.
Zhao, who was among the first ambassadors to meet with Duterte, said China and the Philippines are good neighbors and that China is looking forward to working with the new government to further enhance ties between the two countries.
Sino-Philippines relations worsened in 2013 after the Philippines unilaterally initiated a case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague over their disputes in the South China Sea.
Duterte said on Sunday that he wanted to cultivate friendly relations with China, and he confirmed that he was open to direct talks over the disputes in the South China Sea.
"If the ship of negotiations is in still waters and there is no wind to push the sail, I might just decide to talk bilaterally with China," he said.
Jia Duqiang, a Southeast Asian studies researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "The good signs indicate that the new leadership of the Philippines may change its dispute-solving mentality and stance over the South China Sea."
However, Li Guoqiang, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, said, "China should still wait and see whether the new government will come up with substantial measures accordingly."
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei asked countries outside the area to remain neutral and objective. They should respect efforts by the countries directly involved to resolve disputes over territorial sovereignty and maritime interests through dialogue and consultation, he said.
Hong also said Beijing was dissatisfied with Tokyo over its plan to issue a statement on the South China Sea during a G7 meeting hosted by Japan later this month.
On Monday, the spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the United States advised Washington not to become a "dangerous rock" in the region, saying it has no territorial claim in the South China Sea.
Zhu Haiquan, the embassy spokesman, made the comments in a letter titled "Provocations in the South China Sea" that was published in The Washington Post in response to an editorial by the paper on the South China Sea dispute.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
