PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III is expected to raise the country’s territorial dispute with China during the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“After the successful hosting of Apec 2015, we will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this afternoon, to participate in the 27th Asean Summit,” said Aquino in a speech, delivered in Filipino, minutes before flying to Malaysia.
“This gathering to be held this November is very significant because we will launch the Asean Community,” Aquino added, referring to a move to more tightly integrate the regional group by the end of the year.
The summit will be Aquino’s last as president as he leaves office in June 2016.
In a meeting with Vietnam’s President Truong Tan Sang earlier this week, he called for a “full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea” and cited the urgent need for parties to conclude negotiations on the Code of Conduct, in view of the rising tension over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
“This is a shared aspiration that we will continue to advance, as I take part in my final Asean summit as President of the Philippines,” Aquino said.
During his visit here for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, US President Barack Obama underscored his country’s commitment to defend the Philippines and vowed with Aquino to stop China’s reclamation of land in disputed territories in the South China Sea.
He also pledged increased military assistance to the Philippines worth $79 million, including a decommissioned US Coast Guard cutter that will be turned into a new warship.
On Friday, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Obama’s demand that China stop building artificial islands in the South China Sea bolstered the Philippine stand against China’s aggressive expansion in the disputed waters.
“We welcome President Obama’s demand as another strong stance against China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea,” said Marcos, referring to the areas of the South China Sea that the Philippines claims.
Marcos also said Manila and Beijing should not let the territorial dispute between the two countries’ define the long history of friendship, mutual respect and cooperation.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the arbitration case the Philippines filed against China in The Hague is a “knot that has impeded the improvement and development of Sino-Philippines relations” and that it is up to Manila “to loosen or open the knot.”
The Arbitration Court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the case, but China rejected the tribunal’s authority.
Also on the sidelines of the Apec this week, Russian Prime Miniser Dmitry Medvedev called for a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea and urged all parties to abide by international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Russia is not a party of concern with regards to the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea issue but we call on all the parties involved in the territorial issue to exercise self-restrain and resolve the matter through peaceful bilateral talks,” Medvedev said.
He said that Russia supports of peaceful settlement in accordance with international law, adding that countries involved in the dispute can still work together to strengthen regional peace and stability.
Ahead of the Asean Summit, ministers from the member-countries were engaged in a series of meetings preceding the 27th Asean Summit and Related Summits under Malaysia’s 2015 chairmanship .
The meetings include the 13th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council meeting chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, the 14th ASEAN Economic Community Council meeting and the 17th ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting.
The ministers will be discussing the realisation of the ASEAN Community by year-end, a significant milestone in the history of the 48-year-old grouping of 10 Southeast Asian nations.
The ASEAN Community entails a closer integration of the region, underpinned by three pillars – economy, political-security and socio-culture.
On the sidelines of the meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, representatives from the region’s business sector have converged at a city hotel for the Asean Business and Investment Summit 2015.
The meeting was opened by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Friday.
Also on the program were the Global Investors’ Dialogue-Asean Economic Council Ministers Session and the Global Investors’ Dialogue-Asean Leaders Session.
A host of world leaders were scheduled to fly into Kuala Lumpur today, among them Obama.
Obama will attend the 3rd ASEAN-US Summit as well as the 10th East Asia Summit involving the 10 Asean member states and eight dialogue partners -Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States–as well as the United Nations.
ASEAN comprises Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. – With Vito Barcelo, Macon Ramos-Araneta, AFP