DFA chief to meet China's FM for bilateral talks

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro is expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss bilateral relations between the Philippines and China, among others. DFA spokesperson on ASEAN matters Dominic Xavier Imperial made the announcement on Monday, as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers from over 50 countries participate in weeklong meetings and conference in the country from July 20 to 24. When asked if the video depicting Filipinos as monkeys will be tackled, Imperial said he does not want to preempt the talks of the two officials. “Yes, I have knowledge that the Secretary will have a meeting with the Foreign Minister of China, but as regards their discussions, of course, I don't want to preempt what they will discuss,” Imperial said during a press briefing. “But we believe that this engagement is very important because not only will it cover the bilateral relations between the Philippines and China, but it will also have something to do with regional – the impact of what's happening globally to the region, to ASEAN,” he added. Imperial also did not specify when the two officials will meet. The DFA spokesperson earlier said United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to attend the ASEAN and its related meetings in Metro Manila this week. However, it was still unclear which meetings the two officials will attend during the weeklong gatherings. Two days before the 10th anniversary of the historic decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, Chinese newspaper China Daily posted a video depicting Filipinos as monkeys on the 2016 arbitral ruling. In response, the DFA issued a formal diplomatic protest against China Daily’s “dehumanizing and racist” depiction of Filipinos. The agency said that the Philippines first conveyed its “firm objection to the offensive content” when DFA Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim raised the issue directly with Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan in a face-to-face meeting on July 16, 2026. Herrera-Lim then demanded that the materials be taken down, “stressing that such content is inconsistent with the mutual respect expected between states and does no favors to the sound and stable management of bilateral relations.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the video circulating online was "not an act of the Chinese government," while reiterating Beijing's longstanding rejection of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral ruling. "About the video you mentioned, this is not an act of the government. I have no comment on that," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in his regular press briefing. "China's position on the issue of the South China Sea arbitration is clear and consistent," Lin added. The Philippine government sued China before an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague in 2013. It ruled in favor of the Philippines in July 2016 when it junked China's nine-dash claim over the South China Sea. China has refused to recognize the ruling. — RSJ, GMA News