Roxas leaves to meet new China president

Transportation and Communications (DoTC) Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Upon President Benigno Aquino III’s instructions, Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II flew to Nanning, China on Thursday to meet with incoming Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Roxas left Manila a day after the heated Senate session in which Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, the President’s back-channel negotiator with China, was exposed by Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile as a “fraud” for allegedly working for Beijing over the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

On Wednesday, the President tapped the newly confirmed Interior Secretary as his special envoy to China, with explicit presidential authorization to discuss with Xi the contentious issues surrounding Panatag Shoal (or Scarborough Shoal).

Quoting a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda announced at a news briefing in Malacañang that Roxas was designated to lead the presidential delegation to the “9th China-Asean Expo,” which takes place from Sept. 21-25, but Lacierda said that the DFA was “arranging for the meeting” with Xi.

“China’s Vice President Xi Jinping is attending the event. We are hoping that we will be able to meet with the Vice President,” said Lacierda, who is part of the Philippine delegation to the expo.

Roxas told the INQUIRER in an interview that the meeting with Xi would surely take place Friday, and that China had sought the meeting.

Asked about his message to Xi, Roxas said:

“Without going into specifics, the message pertains to current outstanding issues.”

He was referring to the recent standoff at Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) in April, when two Philippine maritime ships faced off, at one point, with some 80 to 100 Chinese boats.