Philippines top official says maritime issues with China remain a 'serious concern'

Filipino Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Maria Lourdes Lazaro (left), and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong shake hands during a bilateral meeting in Manila, Philippines on Friday March 24, 2023. - AP

MANILA, March 24 (Reuters): Maritime issues between the Philippines and China remain a "serious concern", a Philippine official said on Friday, as the countries pledged to use diplomacy to resolve differences peacefully during high-level talks.

The Philippines hosted this week the first in-person meeting between diplomats from the countries since before the pandemic, amid a flare-up in tensions over what Manila described as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea.