The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday confirmed that it had received several maritime-related proposals from China, but noted that many of them were in contrast to the Philippines’ interests.

In a statement, the department also debunked earlier reports that the Philippine government “ignored” the proposals of China which sought to address the maritime row of the two countries in the South China Sea.

“The DFA had received last year a number of concept papers from China on various maritime-related proposals. In no way did the Philippine Government ignore China’s proposals,” it said.

The Philippine government, according to DFA, immediately undertook “serious study and consideration of all of them” upon receipt of the Chinese proposals.

“The DFA had lengthy and in-depth consultations with the various concerned Philippine Government agencies which have primary competence, or functional mandate over the topics and issues in the said Chinese concept papers,” it said.

“Several rounds of internal discussions and deliberations were also undertaken within the DFA to consider the Chinese proposals,” it added.

It continued: “While a few proposals were deemed somewhat workable, many of the remaining Chinese proposals were determined, after careful study, scrutiny, and deliberation within the Philippine Government, to be contrary to our national interests.”

The department noted that “any agreement or understanding to be reached with any foreign government should not only be in accordance with our mutual interests, but should also not undermine the Philippine Constitution.”

Likewise, it stressed that any agreements with China that tackle the issue in the West Philippine Sea should not “denigrate” the “legally settled rights” of the Philippines under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.

It also noted that the consideration of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award is essential before finalizing any agreement with China that does not acknowledge this ruling.

After making such conclusions about the proposals, the department said the Philippine government “submitted counterproposals last year, which were products of extensive internal consultations.”

“Instead of considering the Philippine counter-proposals, however, the Chinese side presented its own counter-proposals, which again did not reflect our interests, especially on issues such as the South China Sea,” it stressed.

“These matters were further discussed in person during the 8th Bilateral Consultation Meeting on the South China Sea which was convened in Shanghai on 17 January 2024,” it added.