MANILA, Philippines - No bilateral meeting was scheduled between Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and his Chinese counterpart at the sidelines of the 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) as the Philippines ignored China’s opposition to a discussion on the West Philippine Sea.
Manila however is expected to bring up the issue during a key regional security summit in Cambodia from July 8 to 12.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Raul Hernandez said the secretary could hold bilateral meetings at the sidelines of the AMM with Brunei, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, India, Republic of Korea and Australia, depending on the availability of parties involved.
China is not included in the countries for the bilateral meeting at the sidelines of AMM.
“I don’t think he has a bilateral meeting with China. There’ll be ASEAN-China meeting but as far as I’m concerned there’s no scheduled bilateral meeting between the Philippines and China during this trip of the secretary,” Hernandez said during a press briefing.
Although a bilateral meeting between Del Rosario and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is not on the schedule, Hernandez said, “But you never know if one will be.”
Clinton will arrive in Phnom Penh next week to participate in the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
The ARF is a key forum for security dialogue in Asia. It draws together 27 countries including the US and China which have a bearing on the security of the Asia-Pacific region.
“The objective and purpose of the ARF is really to discuss and consult on political, security issues that’s why it was formed for that purpose to discuss regional issues, which have political and security meaning and color,” Hernandez said.
“For now we are in the process of preparing our position on different political and security issues that are part of the concern of the region.”
Del Rosario will also attend the 13th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea and the ministerial meetings with dialogue partners Australia, India, China, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, European Union, Russia, Republic of Korea, and the United States. The Philippines will co-chair the meeting with the US and turn over to Myanmar the coordinator’s role for ASEAN-US relations for 2012-2015.
The Secretary will likewise attend the 10th Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SwPD), a forum for dialogue to exchange views and information on various important issues in the region for the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Timor-Leste.
The 2nd East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Retreat and Plenary Sessions are also included in Del Rosario’s itinerary.
Discussions during the aforementioned meetings will include Regional and International Issues; Maritime Security and Non-Proliferation; Human Rights, Protection of Migrant Workers, and Trafficking in Persons; Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Biodiversity; ASEAN Community and Connectivity; Trade and Investments and Micro Small-Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); and Renewable Energy.
Japan supports Phl’s territorial stand
Meanwhile, Japan has backed the Philippines’ stand that the territorial row in the West Philippine Sea should be resolved through international law, the Department of National Defense (DND) said.
The view was expressed during the ministerial meeting between Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Japanese Minister of Defense Satoshi Morimoto in Tokyo last July 2.
“Japan emphasized the need to maintain freedom of navigation in maritime areas and conveyed its support for the Philippines position of primacy of international law in addressing disputes in the West Philippine Sea,” DND spokesman Peter Galvez said yesterday.
Gazmin and Morimoto signed the Statement of Intent on Defense Cooperation and expressed mutual desire to deepen the security ties between their countries.
The two ministers also exchanged views on how the Philippines and Japan could cooperate in defense-related matters. They likewise tackled regional security issues including maritime security.
Both Japan and the Philippines have territorial disputes with China. The two countries have also accused China of intruding into their territory.
Japan has claimed that China had intruded into the Senkaku Islands in 2004 but no conflict escalated.
On the other hand, the Philippines has accused China of intruding into various areas that are within its exclusive economic zone
The latest intrusion committed by China is the entry of its surveillance vessels into the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, located 124 nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales.-The Philippine Star (July 06, 2012)
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