Aquino to meet Chinese leader at APEC summit sidelines

President Benigno Aquino III and Chinese President Hu Jintao will get a chance to discuss their countries’ territorial row on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Russia, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Saturday (Manila time). Del Rosario said the format has been finalized, though both sides are waiting for the final date and time as to when the meeting will take place. “I think the meeting will be made to happen in accordance with the current schedule of the president; it will happen...,” he said at the briefing aired on government-run dzRB radio. But when asked if the meeting will take place Saturday or Sunday, he said the parties responsible for setting up the meeting are still in discussions. Del Rosario also said there is no pre-agreed agenda at this time for the meeting. On the other hand, he said the territorial row is just one aspect of the relations between the Philippines and China. “I think without preempting the discussion between the two presidents, I’d like to ask you to recall in the last meeting with the president was invited for state visit to china, there was an agreement that the disputes in the South China Sea are not the sum total of the relations. And what we’d like to happen is we’d like to go back to that agreement which essentially states both leaders will try to move forward the bilateral agenda and abstract contentious issues and deal with that separately,” he said. The Philippines and China has been locked in a territorial row over the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal since April. Last April, Philippine forces spotted Chinese fishermen taking marine species from the area but were blocked by Chinese ships when trying to make an arrest. Aquino and Hu are presently in Vladivostok in Russia to attend the APEC leaders’ summit. Singapore Meanwhile, Del Rosario said Aquino expressed the Philippines’ gratitude to Singapore for supporting the Philippines’ stand on the West Philippine Sea issue. Aquino expressed this in a bilateral meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. “The president expressed his gratitude for the very strong support Singapore has given the Philippines in terms of its position in the West Philippine Sea. Singapore committed to continue its support in terms of a peaceful resolution of the dispute in accordance with international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said. He said the two leaders also expressed the need for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to “strengthen its solidarity and centrality in being able to reinforce the importance of ASEAN being an entity that would promote peace and stability in the region.” — LBG, GMA News