Chinese diplomat said territorial dispute can be resolved thru talks

[Corzhens]

Now they are talking sense. Where before, the Chinese authorities snubbed any initiative on talks about the South China Sea territorial issue, now they are at least being positive. Xinhua News Service reported that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said any unilateral resort to arbitration will only hurt the commitment to resolving the disputes and will undermine political mutual trust.

Read more at Chinese diplomat said West PH dispute resolvable through negotiation | mb.com.ph | Philippine News

 

[Falcon29]

China still won't give it up, probably preparing to further assert its presence there. China is buying time with these talks.

 

[Redheart]

The only way the South China Islands dispute will be solved will be through talks. The U.S's meddling didn't help much and I'm sure the countries which hoped they'd be getting help from the U.S no longer do which leaves them all with only one option — solve the dispute themselves.

And there's been a development . . .

Hague court begins hearing into South China Sea row | Inquirer Global Nation
The Hague, NETHERLANDS—An international tribunal on Tuesday began hearing a case brought by the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea, in an increasingly bitter row with China.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration “commenced the hearing on the merits and remaining issues of jurisdiction and admissibility,” the Hague-based tribunal said in a statement.

Manila has called for the tribunal, which is more than a century old, to rule on the dispute, appealing to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

 

[phoenix2015]

I think this is might be something of a win-win situation for China in a way. If it gets something from the talks, then they win. If they don't, then they won't look like they back downed and lose face. They will appear reasonable and that they are willing to handle tough situations through diplomacy, thus helping ease the concerns from neighboring countries about it's rise.