Philippines, China defense chiefs agree to keep peace, stability in South China Sea

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe agreed that peace and stability in the South China Sea should be maintained.

Lorenzana and Wei had a bilateral meeting on Friday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City where they tackled key issues concerning both defense departments, according to the Department of National Defense.

The DND said Lorenzana and Wei discussed how misunderstanding could be avoided when it comes to territorial issues, noting that differences must be resolved "amicably."

They also talked about the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, the DND added.

LOOK: SND Delfin Lorenzana met with Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe in Camp Aguinaldo to discuss key issues affecting defense departments of the Philippines and China. ????: DND @gmanews pic.twitter.com/t7w5ODd0aA

— ????Anna Felicia (@annafelicia_) September 11, 2020

The DND said both officials also agreed to continue working on revisiting the 2004 Philippines-China Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defense Cooperation that will be more responsive to present situations.

Meanwhile,the two defense leaders also exchanged the best practices of their countries when it comes to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, the officials also inked the implementing guidelines for the implementation of a 130 million Renminbi grant that China is giving to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the form of equipment, especially for human and disaster response (HADR).

Lorenzana expressed optimism that his meeting with Wei would foster collaboration between both countries’ defense establishments and advance mutual trust and interests for future exchanges on matters of security and mutual concern.—LDF, GMA News