Philippines special envoy to China, Fidel Ramos, says Manila wants formal discussions with China to explore pathways to peace and cooperation. After a meeting with former Chinese deputy foreign minister Fu Ying in Hong Kong, Ramos said, the discussions focused on the need to engage in further talks to build trust and confidence to pave the way for overall cooperation.
An arbitration court in the Hague ruled in July that China had no historic title over the busy waterway and had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights there. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which more than 5 trillion dollars of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea.