The Philippines President and foreign minister met with the Chinese foreign minister to discuss and resolve maritime issues in the South China Sea. The South China Sea is the route of 3 trillion dollars of ship-borne goods each year and rich in resources like minerals and oil. An agreement was reached where multiple new lines of communication were established to quickly resolve any issue that might occur in the West Philippine Sea that involves China or/and the Philippines. Diplomats of each have made it a goal to create stability and form prosperity within the shared region of the two states through cooperation, resolved differences and more.
Despite the efforts of improving the relationship between the two states, China has voiced its concerns in regards to the Philippines offering additional military base access to the US. Also, the Philippines announced the official addition of 3 new US military bases which all face the territory of Taiwan. This is problematic because since China views Taiwan as its own, the Philippines allowing the US to gain clear access to the land off of their territory sends unclear messages to China. This may formulate misunderstandings and a lack of trust between the two states who are currently working on growing and enhancing their relationship.
This relates to what we talked about in class because it highlights the process of states forming and improving their relations with one another.