While China has continued to downplay the 2016 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) ruling favoring the Philippines’ territorial rights, tension between the two countries have subsided following the bilateral meeting between their top leaders. In an interview on Friday, Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana told reporters that following the latest bilateral meeting between President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, “there was enough indication that the situation will be addressed and the concerns of the Philippines will be addressed.” In recent weeks, maritime tension had escalated with the swarming of Chinese militia around Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island in the Spratlys and the illegal harvesting of giant clams.

Dumlao-Abadilla, D. (2019, April 27). Sea row tackled at Duterte, Xi meet. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A3.