China, Philippines assess ties amid escalating sea disputes

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Senior Chinese and Filipino diplomats are meeting in Manila to review their relations amid thorny issues. Those include Beijing’s alarm over a Philippine decision to allow the U.S. military to expand its presence to a northern region facing the Taiwan Strait and escalating spats in the disputed South China Sea. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro were leading the talks aimed at assessing overall relations on Thursday. The discussions would focus on the long-seething territorial spats in the disputed waterway on Friday.