Security officials of the Philippines and China discussed bilateral defense cooperation in a meeting in Camp Aguinaldo on Friday.

Arsenio Andolong, Department of National Defense (DND) public affairs service chief, said the meeting between the military and defense officials of China and Philippines was held at the DND building in Camp Aguinaldo.

“The Philippines and China also agreed to increase cooperation in the area of training and education not only to share expertise and best practices, but also foster friendly relations between both peoples,” he said.

Andolong said during the talks the importance of the South China Sea for the region’s economic growth and development was also discussed.

“Both sides expressed support for the peaceful settlement of disputes thereat through lawful, non-coercive, and transparent means,” he said.

“The Philippine delegation led by Undersecretary for Defense Policy Ricardo David, Jr. met with RADM ( (Rear Admiral) Jiang Guoping, Assistant Chief of General Staff, Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and other senior officials from the CMC as both sides resumed the Annual Defense Security Talks (ADST),” he said.

Andolong said delegates from two countries tackled the “defense cooperation in addressing non-traditional security challenges, such as terrorism, violent extremism and the threats of man-made and natural disasters.”

“The Philippine side likewise expressed optimism that the adoption of the Framework for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) in August 2017 has brought us closer to the long-sought conclusion of a binding and meaningful COC,” Andolong added.

“In conclusion, both sides expressed confidence that with avenues for open and substantive dialogue, such as the ADST, the Philippines and China would be able to further cooperate and manage differences towards contributing to a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region,” he noted.

Andolong said this year’s ADST is the fifth meeting between China and Philippines.

“The ADST is the bilateral dialogue mechanism between the Philippines and China, which was established under the purview of the 2004 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defense Cooperation. Since 2005, four ADSTs have been alternately hosted between the two countries, with the last one held in Beijing in 2013,” he said.

“This year’s 5 th ADST provided both sides the opportunity to exchange views on the current regional security situation and flesh out concrete plans to cooperate in addressing security concerns mutually faced by the Philippines and China,” he added. Robina Asido/DMS