Aquino flies to China for state visit; bats for ASEAN roro system

President Benigno Aquino troops the line during the send-off ceremony at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 Tuesday evening before boarding a Philippine Airlines special commercial flight for his five-day state visit to China. Malacañang Photo

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino left on Tuesday night for his state visit in China with the hope he and Chinese President Hu Jintao will be able to ease the ongoing tension between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea or the South China Sea.

“President Hu and I will meet to resolve the controversies in the West Philippine Sea,” President Aquino said in his departure speech before he boarded a special Philippine Airlines flight to Beijing after 6 p.m. Tuesday night.

The President said he and the Chinese President would also witness the signing of key agreements on trade, infrastructure, media exchange and economic and cultural matters.

Aquino described China as an important neighbor and expressed Manila’s intention to continue giving value to, and taking care of its ties and cooperation with Beijing.

“And like in other trips we’ve taken before, we will tell China that we have a different Philippines now, more organized, more bent on putting up reforms and it has a better investment climate…” the President said.

Among the agreements to be firmed up in the President’s visit include one that will see both nations eventually setting up a South China Sea roll of, roll on system or RORO to ensure the smooth transport of goods between them, according to Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas said.

Speaking to reporters before he left with the President and his delegation, Roxas said the agreement would pave the way for both Manila and Beijing to set up a SCS RORO by next year that would see products of the two nations being transported “from the coastal ports of China towards the (Philippines) western sea board” like in Subic, Zambales and Poro Point in La Union.

Roxas said the agreement would be important in making the Philippines “part of the manufacturing juggernaut that is China.”

But he made it clear that the agreement to be signed in Beijing would not yet see any money or contract changing hands as it would only “directly appropriate agencies to physically explore the setting up of the SCS RORO.”

“The agreement doesn’t involve only China and the Philippines but other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,” he said, adding this venture was initiated by President Aquino in talks with Asean and Chinese leaders in 2010.

Asked whether the SCS roro was also called West Philippine Sea, “It’s an Asean document…we consider it as West Philippine Sea RORO.”