On Saturday morning President Aquino met separately with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chile President Sebastian Piñera at the Conference Center of Far Eastern Federal University in Russky Island, venue of the 20th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Summit.
Mr. Aquino as of Friday night had four bilateral meetings set, the two others with leaders of Vietnam and Malaysia.
Dialog with China finally confirmed
On Saturday noon, the most-watched meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao was finally confirmed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.
The DFA chief said the format of the bilateral dialog has been finalized and it is just a matter of setting the final date and time.
Del Rosario said he is "very sure" the disputes in the South China Sea will be discussed by the two leaders.
Both Aquino and Hu, however, recognize that the disputes are "not the sum total" of the Philippines-China bilateral relations.
Hu has already met with his counterparts from Indonesia, Brunei and Vietnam in Russky Island, where he emphasized the need to exercise restraint and for claimants to "avoid taking any unilateral measure that will magnify, complicate or internationalize the dispute to prevent the issue from affecting East Asian cooperation and regional stability."
Aquino also has bilateral dialogs set with President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam, which also has a claim in contested areas in the West Philippine Sea, and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razal on Sunday before he returns to Manila.
This year’s APEC summit theme is "Integrate to Grow, Innovate to Prosper". During the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM), the leaders will discuss four priorities: trade and investment liberalization and regional economic integration, strengthening food security, establishing reliable supply chains, and cooperation to foster innovative growth.
Aquino arrived in Russky Island at 9 p.m. Friday (6 p.m. Manila time) with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Finance chief Cesar Purisima, and presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
"At this point, we cannot say whether it (bilateral meeting with Hu) will be dropped or not. They’re still working and anticipating," Philippine Ambassador to Moscow Alejandro Mosquera said earlier.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura del Rosario earlier announced that it was China that requested for a bilateral meeting, but she clarified here in Russky Island that it was "now a mutual request."
Del Rosario said Aquino and Hu are expected to tackle conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea if the bilateral meeting pushes through.-Interaksyon (September 08, 2012 3:25PM)
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