Senior diplomats from China and the Philippines are meeting face to face amid ongoing tensions in the South China Sea. The officials are trying to defuse frictions that have arisen as China steps up its activities in disputed waters. There have been a number of incidents in recent months.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Maria Theresa Lazaro started their two-day meeting on Thursday in Manila.

It is the first in-person meeting of high-level diplomats in four years.

Lazaro said: "The Philippines attaches much importance to this mechanism as our discussions here allow us to cover the overall relations between our two countries."

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said: "We need to properly deal with our differences through friendly discussions, and further promote ties."

The two countries' leaders met in January for a summit in Beijing. They agreed to handle any maritime disputes through friendly consultation.

But tensions have flared up since then. In February, the Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese government vessel of directing a military-grade laser at its patrol ship. Earlier this month, over 40 Chinese vessels were spotted around a Philippine-controlled island.

The Philippines has recently agreed to allow the United States greater access to its military bases. That comes after a deal signed in 2014. China has expressed concerns about the latest agreement.