Philippines-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism and Foreign Ministry Consultations Open in Quanzhou

The 24th Philippines-China Foreign Ministry Consultations (FMC) and 11th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea opened in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China on March 27. The Philippine delegation was led by DFA Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim; China's by Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. This was the first BCM since January 2025 and the first FMC since March 2023. The Philippine DFA confirmed to media that the agenda included South China Sea maritime tensions, coast guard-to-coast guard communication protocols, and 'initial exchanges on potential oil and gas cooperation' — the first such dialogue since former Foreign Secretary Locsin terminated joint exploration talks in 2022. Manila Bulletin reported talks would proceed 'amid the Philippines' move to curb oil supply threats' following the national energy emergency declared March 24.