U.S. media reports that Chinese and Philippine foreign ministers will hold their first meeting in two years, with the Philippines unilaterally releasing information sparking attention

Bloomberg News claims that the Philippines' Foreign Minister will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi! On July 20, according to Bloomberg News reports, U.S. media stated that senior diplomats from China and the Philippines are scheduled to meet this week—marking the first such meeting in two years. The rift between the two countries has now extended beyond disputes over the South China Sea, with disagreements broadening to include issues related to Japan and Taiwan.

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Inperial said that during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Manila, Wang Yi held a bilateral meeting with Philippine Foreign Minister Lazaro. Clearly, how should we view this report by U.S. media? To be honest, it's quite surprising that the Philippines unilaterally released such information. However, whether this meeting will actually take place remains uncertain.

The facts are clear: according to international diplomatic norms, high-level meeting schedules should be jointly announced after mutual agreement between both sides. As the host country of this ASEAN meeting, the Philippines’ premature release of information clearly carries strong public relations intent. The Philippines is evidently attempting to position itself as willing to engage in dialogue and resolve issues through negotiation. But fundamentally, the Philippines has repeatedly provoked tensions in the South China Sea.

From our perspective, setting aside the fact that the Philippines is hosting this conference, we actually lack motivation to engage in dialogue with them. First, the Philippines continues to stir up trouble and bring in external forces to destabilize the South China Sea—this behavior is unlikely to change fundamentally. Second, the Philippines lacks credibility; even if talks were to occur, their ability to fulfill commitments is highly questionable. Therefore, the Philippines’ statement is merely a symbolic gesture, and the actual status of any meeting certainly cannot be determined solely by the Philippines.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871217213915275/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.