No sea dispute discussion during Aquino’s China trip

President Benigno Aquino III. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III will be in Beijing next month but he won’t be talking about the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

Aquino will be attending various Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) conferences in China from November 9 to 11.

Foreign Relations Undersecretary Laura del Rosario said the Apec forum does not tackle political issues such as territorial disputes among countries.

“The agenda is shaping the future through Asia Pacific economic partners, so it’s really all economic,” she said of the upcoming event.

She denied that the West Philippine Sea dispute will be pushed aside because China will be hosting the summit.

“If you noticed, Apec has been here for the past 25 years. They never talked about anything political—never,” Del Rosario told reporters.

She said the participants once tackled terrorism only to discuss how trade and goods could be protected and secured.

“So aside from that, (there) never was….any political issue ever discussed in Apec,” the undersecretary explained.

Del Rosario said that while people are more interested in politics, “economics is more exciting because that’s where the future is.”

Nevertheless, she said the Philippines and the Chinese government remain in good terms.

“I’d like to say that the Chinese government is really looking forward to our participation, and I think we have a very good, strong delegation,” she said.

“We will be holding hands to make sure that all the issues that affect us will be handled smoothly from one host economy to another,” Del Rosario added.

Aquino’s schedule

Del Rosario said Aquino will deliver a talk at the CEO Summit on November 9 about economic reform for competitive growth. He will then meet with the Apec Business Advisory Council to discuss disaster resilience, SMMEs (small, micro-, and medium enterprises), financial inclusion and governance.

The Apec Economic Leaders Meeting on November 11, on the other hand, will focus on advancing regional economic integration and free trade among the Asia Pacific economies.

Del Rosario said the forum will also tackle the Internet economy.

She said Aquino will discuss innovative development, economic reform and growth, and strengthening structural development.

She said Aquino will most likely meet with Latin American leaders though no schedule has been finalized. After the leaders’ meeting, the President will fly to Myanmar for the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit on November 12 to 13.

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