One year after the Philippines won its case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash line claims, Malacañang said the relations between the two countries had greatly improved despite the continuing concerns over the developments in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines and China entered into a bilateral consultation mechanism in May 2017, when they reiterated their commitment to cooperate and find ways to strengthen their trust and confidence in the issues related to the disputed waters.

Bencito, J. P., Fabunan, S. S. (12, July 2017). ‘PH-China dialogue on sea row excellent’. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.