China Urges the Philippines to Cooperate to Ease Tensions in the South China Sea

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday that "Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Philippines to cooperate with his country to find an effective way to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea." It stated that "Wang made the remarks during a visit to Singapore and Malaysia on Thursday and Friday." Wang expressed that "China has repeatedly shown its willingness to resolve disputes with the Philippines through bilateral dialogue, hoping that the Philippine side will adhere to the consensus reached earlier." The remarks come amid rising tensions between the two countries over the position of a decommissioned warship acting as a military outpost in the South China Sea. The Philippines intentionally stationed the World War II-era warship Sierra Madre at the site in 1999 to bolster its sovereignty claim in the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its exclusive economic zone, with a number of soldiers rotating to guard the ship.