06 May 2016

News Story: China says door for dialogue with Philippines always open (China's View)

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China said on Thursday the door for dialogue with the Philippines on the South China Sea is always open, refuting the country's argument that bilateral dialogue has come to an end.

China and the Philippines have agreed a series of bilateral and multilateral documents to solve the South China Sea disputes through negotiation, but the Philippines abandoned its promises, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei at a daily press briefing.

"China's door for dialogue with the Philippines is always open," Hong said.

He said the two countries have had close contact and several rounds of consultation on trust, managing disputes and maritime cooperation yet the Philippines has never had any conversation with China on any of its appeals of the arbitration case.

Read the full story at Xinhua