File photo of Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meeting at the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Summit last July.
Anna Mogato | November 4, 2026
MANILA — Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro had struck an agreement with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to de-escalate tensions between the two countries and continue diplomatic dialogue to settle disputes.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Minister Wang telephoned Secretary Lazaro and initiated conciliatory dialogue ahead of two regional meetings this month.
The Philippines will host the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on November 15 to 17. This will be followed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in China.
The DFA said the phone conversation between foreign ministers was “frank, pragmatic, and constructive.”
“[The exchange] reflected the interest of both sides in a stable and predictable relationship founded on mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation,” the statement read.
Lazaro and Wang agreed to maintain dialogue and avoid actions that could heighten tensions and undermine efforts to resolve disputes.
The DFA said diplomacy and mutually beneficial practical cooperation will be pursued with China without compromising the country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights. (Also read: Marcos vows not to abandon South China Sea ruling)
“Secretary Lazaro underscored that good relations between the Philippines and China serve the interests of both countries and of the region, and must be sustained through regular high-level exchanges, ministry-to-ministry channels, and the appropriate bilateral and regional mechanisms,” the statement read.
The call comes after China’s embassy in Manila alleged that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. sent an invitation too late to its defense minister for the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting. It left them little time to prepare for the event.
China’s Defense Ministry said that Philippine politicians have hindered China’s participation in the ASEAN-led meetings.
During the call, Secretary Lazaro, emphasized the Philippines takes its responsibility as ASEAN chair seriously, and had told Wang that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks forward to Premier Li Qiang’s attendance in the ASEAN Leaders Summit this month.
Wang likewise said they look forward to Marcos’s participation in the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen, which will happen shortly after the ASEAN Leaders Summit.
“The Philippines remains committed to a stable, predictable, mutually respectful, and mutually beneficial relationship with China, in accordance with the national interest and in pursuit of an independent foreign policy as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution,” the DFA said.
Lazaro and Wang had also discussed other topics such as maritime issues, “but focused on returning the relationship to an even keel and on upholding the 1975 Joint Communiqué, which remains the enduring basis of Philippines-China cooperation and of the Philippines’ One China Policy.”