I’ll be a good host for Apec, Aquino vows

President Benigno Aquino III. SCREENGRAB from RTVM

Chinese President Xi Jinping has yet to confirm his attendance at the Apec Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) next month but President Aquino said the Philippines “intends to be as good a host” like China was last year.

“I’d like to be the perfect host to all of my counterparts including the observers, and in the two days, primarily, obviously I will try to engage all 21 in fruitful conversations,” Mr. Aquino told members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Wednesday.

The President was referring to the leaders of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) nations that include the United States, China, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Australia and Hong Kong, among others.

The Apec observers are the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council and the Pacific Islands Forum.

Mr. Aquino said that a bilateral talk with Xi at the sidelines of the AELM has not yet been scheduled “but we are very open to it.”

He noted that other governments have already “indicated they want bilateral discussions, including those that will be coming on state visits before the launch of Apec.”

President Aquino and Xi met at the Apec sidelines last year, when Beijing hosted the event.

Mr. Aquino had at that time described the meeting with his Chinese counterpart as “a new beginning.”

He had also said that “without compromising” the two countries’ principles on the maritime issues, both would still want to develop cooperation particularly in trade, investment and tourism.

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