Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Wednesday described the bilateral relations between the Philippines and China as “a bit choppy.”

In a press briefing, Manalo was asked about the current relations of the Philippines and China amid the heightened tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“Well, I would say, though, they are a bit choppy. There are many issues which have come up recently,” he said, referring to the alleged wiretapping by Chinese diplomats in Manila as well as the China Coast Guard’s continuous aggression in the WPS.

According to Manalo, the recent efforts of the Philippine government in asserting its rights in the WPS were based on international law such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Harassment persists

“Unfortunately, in this case, China has to continue to harass, for example, our fishermen. Try to block our efforts to resupply, for example, our military personnel in the Ayungin Shoal and our fishermen in Scarborough Shoal,” he said.

“We’re merely trying to assert our rights and, unfortunately, we are being hampered in doing so. And I, in my personal belief, this is creating the tensions,” he added.

Tensions between the two countries have risen over the past years due to their overlapping claims in the West Philippine Sea, a portion of the South China Sea.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

China’s historic “nine-dash line claim,” however, was rejected by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 after it favored Manila’s sovereign rights in the area.