By Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES and China are back on “the right track,” the Chinese government said on Wednesday, July 12, exactly a year after Manila’s landmark victory in an international tribunal against Beijing’s sweeping claims on the disputed South China Sea.

In his press briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said China’s relations with the Philippines “have taken an upturn comprehensively” as the two countries hold dialogues on the sea dispute.

The Philippines this week marked the July 12 Hague ruling a year ago that invalidated most of China’s territorial claims on the strategic waterway, including the resource-rich Scarborough shoal and other reefs that the tribunal considered “high-tide features.”

The international court’s decision, which China has vehemently rejected, also said Beijing violated Manila’s sovereign rights over the sea by blocking fish and oil exploration and by building artificial islands there.

“Since last year, with the concerted efforts of the two sides, China and the Philippines have come back to the right track,” Mr. Geng said.

However, Mr. Geng emphasized that Beijing’s non-acceptance of the Hague award remains, adding that China is nonetheless committed to resolve the maritime row through peaceful negotiations while “firmly upholding” its “rights” and “interests” over the contested waters.

“China’s stance on this arbitration has been consistent and clear-cut,” he said.

Upon taking office shortly before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in Manila’s favor, Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte sought warmer ties with China while aiming to draw in billions of dollars in Chinese aid and investment.

Mr. Duterte has set aside the Hague ruling and assured time and again he would revisit it later, even a year past the arbitral ruling.

He also hit back at critics of his apparent refusal to pressure Beijing to comply with the international court’s verdict and once claimed that his Chinese counterpart threatened war if Manila tried to enforce the ruling and drill for oil in the disputed sea.

In a statement also on Wednesday, the Philippine foreign affairs department said the Duterte administration remains committed to protecting the country’s maritime entitlements through “bold initiatives” that would bring “great benefits” for the nation.

“Through the adoption of positive neighborly relations, our fishermen are back exercising their livelihood in Scarborough Shoal. We have received investment and financial assistance commitments upwards of $30 billion from our partners in the region,” the statement read.

The Philippines and China will hold another bilateral consultation on the South China Sea issue in the second half of 2017 after one last May that Manila described as “frank, in-depth, and friendly.”

In a press briefing last Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella said topics such as access for Filipino fishermen will be “considered” during the second bilateral meeting.

“It’s excellent that we are now in dialogue with the other country,” Mr. Abella said.

Besides China and the Philippines, Asian neighbors Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have active claims in the South China Sea, which is widely seen as a potential regional flash point.

Last month, a US think tank reported that China has continued installing weapons in its artificial islands on the South China Sea — a move seen by experts as one that may give China extra power to police the widely disputed waters.

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