Strange pairing: Protocol dictates Aquino sit by Xi

President Aquino greets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing. Malacañang File Photo

Too close for comfort, but tradition requires them to sit side by side and get along like polished diplomats and just this once forget the shark and minnow game they usually play in the heavily disputed South China Sea.

They will be a sight to see: President Aquino, who has taken China to court over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country claims almost the whole 3.5-million-square-kilometer sea and refuses to be taken to court over it, sitting elbow to elbow at next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Manila.

Former Philippine Ambassador to Israel Marciano Paynor Jr., director general of the National Organizing Council for the Philippine hosting of Apec 2015, on Thursday explained the seating plan for the summit and the practice called “troika” (group of three) among member-economies hosting the meeting.

“We have what we call a troika and this is a normal practice among Apec economies who are hosting. Usually in the middle is the host, previous host, future host and that’s the so-called troika. And normally they are seated together,” Paynor told a news briefing.

In the manner of the troika, President Aquino, this year’s Apec host, will sit in the middle.

Paynor did not say, however, who would sit at Mr. Aquino left and right. Xi was last year’s Apec host and next year’s host would be Peru President Ollanta Humala.

Rotation

The hosting of the Apec summit rotates among members annually.

While there has been no mention of a bilateral meeting between President Aquino and Xi, the two leaders are likely to meet briefly and interact during the summit at the Philippine International Convention Center, Paynor said.

Mr. Aquino will have at least 11 bilateral talks with other Apec leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

Paynor said this was apart from the pull-aside meetings, the informal talks between leaders.

“So the opportunity for the President (Aquino) and President Xi Jinping will always be there if they wish to talk about issues that are bilateral in nature,” Paynor said.

Tree-planting ceremony

At last year’s Apec summit in Beijing, President Aquino met Xi for 10 minutes, during a tree-planting ceremony attended by all 21 leaders of the bloc.

Paynor could not say yet if there would be a similar opportunity for the two leaders to talk even informally on the sidelines of the summit.

The Philippines and China have both committed not to raise the South China Sea dispute during the summit, agreeing that Apec is not the proper forum to discuss political and security issues.

China has refused to take part in the proceedings at the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, but the court has agreed to hear the case and set oral arguments for Nov. 24-30.