The Philippines and China will set up a bilateral consultative mechanism this year to settle sensitive issues, including the dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The bilateral consultation mechanism was part of the agreement between the Philippines and China during President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit in Beijing in October 2016. Sta. Romana said the mechanism would allow the creation of a group to discuss the sea row separately, and de-link the dispute from other aspects of bilateral relations such as economics, finance, culture, education and sports.

Delizo, M. J. T. (2017, January 03). PH, China to discuss sea dispute – envoy. The Manila Times, p. A2.