Indeed the maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea-South China Sea is not the “sum total” of the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and China. We agree with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to “continue to manage issues of concern” between our two countries and to “promote maritime cooperation in friendly consultation.” As we have written before, both the Philippines and China should for the meantime bypass the contentious issues and concentrate on a possible unifying objective, a project which both countries can undertake almost immediately or at least relatively shortly.

De Venecia, J., Jr. (2020, July 19). Maritime disputes no 'sum-total' of Philippines-China relationship; temporarily bypass contentious issues and concentrate on joint projects in West Philippine Sea. Manila Bulletin, p. 6.