The Philippines and Chinese foreign ministries said on Thursday that despite their disputes in the South China Sea, they agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate.
The two countries held the 10th round of talks on Thursday as part of the bilateral consultation mechanism established to address issues in the South China Sea, where disputes are frequent and tense, and relations have fallen to the lowest point in recent years.
Both countries have agreed to advance cooperation in the field of coast guard and marine sciences and promise to resolve problems peacefully.
“Despite unresolved challenges and differences, we believe there is a real space for diplomatic and pragmatic cooperation in dealing with our problems in the South China Sea,” Philippines Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa Lazaro said in her opening speech.
China said it called on the Philippines to be determined to resolve the differences through dialogue and consultation.
While both sides agreed to increase communication and deepen dialogue, they also called on each other about the recent disagreements.
Land claims on China's key maritime trade route coincide with the MEBs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. These countries also have allegations of the Ministry of National Education in conflict with each other.
While the Philippines and China often face each other in the South China Sea, the US, which has a mutual access agreement with the Philippines and has decided to expand its military bases in the country, is escalating the tension with its statements.
China announced on Thursday that it will impose a temporary tax on industrial plastic imports from the United States, the European Union, Japan and Taiwan after months of anti-dumping investigation.
In a statement from the Ministry of Commerce, it was stated that temporary anti-dumping taxes on polyacetal copolymers vary between 3.8% and 74.9% depending on the country and the company and will start on January 24.
China launched the investigation in the week in May, when the U.S. increased tariffs on electric vehicles of Chinese origin and launched a trade investigation into the European Union's import of some Chinese-origin steel.
The nine-month investigation has announced its findings days before Donald Trump took office and is expected to continue his tough stance on trade, which Trump started in his first term.
According to customs data, China imported about 3 billion yuan ($409 million) worth of plastic from the US, Japan, Taiwan and Germany between January and November last year.
The ministry said the plastics in question can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc and have a variety of applications, including auto parts, electronics and medical equipment.
While the highest tax is applied to US companies, European Union companies will face a tax of 42%. The majority of Taiwanese and Japanese companies will face taxes of 32.6% and 43.7%, respectively.