On December 20, 2023, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Philippine Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo at the latter's request.

Wang Yi said, the severe difficulties facing China-Philippines relations right now are rooted in the fact that the Philippine side has changed its policy stance so far, reneged on the promises it has made, constantly made provocations at sea, and undermined China's legitimate and lawful rights. China-Philippines relations now stand at a crossroads, facing a choice of where to go from here, and the Philippine side will by no means exercise prudence.

Wang Yi urged the Philippine side not to continue in the wrong direction, but to return to the right path as soon as possible. The top priority is to properly handle and manage the current maritime situation. Being neighbors separated by a strip of water, China and the Philippines should settle disputes through consultation. This is not only an effective way for neighbors to get along with each other, but also a useful experience for China-Philippines relations to improve. China is always committed to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation to jointly maintain maritime stability. If the Philippine side misjudges the situation, acts stubbornly, or even colludes with ill-intentioned external forces to continue to stir up troubles, China will defend its rights in accordance with the law and respond resolutely.

Enrique A. Manalo introduced the views of the Philippine side on the issue of Ren'ai Jiao, expressing the hope that differences will be managed in a way acceptable to both sides, so as to cool down tensions and prevent conflicts. The Philippine side is willing to strengthen dialogue with China in good faith, make good use of the role of bilateral communication mechanism on maritime issues, and jointly seek a solution to the issue.

The two sides agreed to hold a meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea at an early date and actively create favorable conditions for it.