Philippines sees signs of cooperation from China despite sea disputes

MANILA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Philippines' ambassador to the United States on Tuesday underscored the need to "cool" the temperature with China, after both sides signaled their willingness to set aside tensions in the South China Sea and explore areas of economic cooperation.

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said Manila's relationship with Beijing should not be defined solely by maritime disputes, even as the Philippines continues to call out actions it deems unlawful.

"We have a continuing bilateral conversation with them," Romualdez told reporters. "We will continue with that one and see how we can work, especially in the economic front."

"That's what we want to do... there are some signs that our Chinese friends are also prepared to see some opportunities where we can work, you know, and isolate this situation in the West Philippines Sea," Romualdez added, using the term Manila uses to refer to waters within its exclusive economic zone.

The Philippines and China have been locked in a series of maritime confrontations in recent years, with the Philippines accusing China of aggressive actions inside its EEZ, including dangerous manoeuvres, water-cannoning, and interference in resupply missions.

China, in turn, has accused the Philippines of intruding into what it claims as its territory.

Recent weeks have seen sharper exchanges between the Chinese Embassy and Philippine officials, prompting Manila to reiterate that differences between states are best handled through diplomacy, not public rhetoric.

With the Philippines chairing ASEAN this year, Romualdez said easing friction is vital to secure China's full engagement in efforts to finally conclude a long‑delayed Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

"We are the chair of ASEAN and I would like the participation of China to be significant, especially in the Code of Conduct," he said. "Who knows, we might be able to finally nail it down after more than 20 years."

Manila has said it will insist that the Code of Conduct explicitly references the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea as it works to complete the document within the year.

The Philippine foreign ministry said on Monday it remains the country's "authoritative voice" on regional and international issues, with its newly appointed spokesperson for maritime affairs reiterating that Philippine diplomacy will continue to be anchored on "sober assessments of facts".