Malacañang said that the agreement of President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the territorial dispute in the established bilateral consultative mechanism (BCM) a welcome sign.
Presidential Spokesman Saldavdor Panelo said this even the two leaders during their bilateral meeting in Beijing insisted in their conflicting position over the disputed territories in the South China Sea.
“Yes, but they are still open, both sides are open. That is why I said, that’s a welcome sign,” Panelo said.
Panelo asserted that “even if you insist on your side of your position, you can still argue and resolve mutually to both satisfaction, to both sides’ satisfaction on how to deal with that problem.”
The Palace spokesman reiterated that the bilateral mechanism is the most effective to deal with the “irritants” to the ongoing negotiations between Philippines and China.
“Of course, yes. You don’t resolve the conflict by going to war or armed hostilities; it will not solve anything. In fact, all the conflicts in the world when not resolved by means of negotiations end up in armed hostilities.”
