MANILA, Philippines — Two of the world's powers need to sit down for a "heart-to-heart" discussion to settle their differences on the South China Sea issue, the Philippines' top diplomat said Friday.
This comment comes after a confrontation between American and Chinese warships in the Spratly Islands, where Beijing has built artificial islands and installed military facilities.
"So that's our point,in the West Philippine Sea, South China Sea, needs a heart-to-heart talk between regional and non-regional players and between the two superpowers," Cayetano said, referring to the US and China.
Cayetano reiterated President Rodrigo Duterte's policy that the Philippines wants to be "friends to everyone" but Washington and Beijing have their own rivalry.
"China has a different stand on the South China Sea, the US has a different stand, and the Philippines has a different stand. But the dynamics of the superpowers are different from that of the middle powers and countries who use soft power," the secretary said.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working on handling the matter as a bloc by working on a legally binding Code of Conduct on the South China Sea.
Cayetano noted that about 40 percent of ASEAN member-states have overlapping claims while the remaining countries are non-claimants.
"We will continue to see these irritants and arguments and it will continue until the US and China sit down and regional players sit down," he said.
Earlier this week, American warship USS Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the South China Sea.
The US guided-missile destroyer was conducting a freedom of navigation operation in the area, challenging Beijing's territorial claims in the area.
China responded to this by sending its own warship within yards of the American destroyer.
According to US Navy Commander Nate Christenses, US Pacific Fleet spokesman, a Chinese Luyang destroyer approaced USS Decatur in "an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the South China Sea" and conducted a series of "increasingly aggressive maneuvers, and warned the Decatur to depart the area."