PHL-China sea row won’t be tackled in APEC summit in Beijing

From GMA News (Oct 29): PHL-China sea row won’t be tackled in APEC summit in Beijing

The Philippines' territorial dispute with China will not be tackled during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing next month.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, DFA Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Del Rosario said the summit will focus on economic issues and not political ones.

"The APEC extends to South America... We are not going to the specifics of this issue [territorial dispute], which are Southeast Asia issues," she said.

Asked if the territorial row will be put in the sidelines in deference to China, the host country, Del Rosario replied, "The APEC has already been here for 25 years. It never talked about anything political in its summit."

The Philippines has conflicting territorial claims with China over resource-rich parts of the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines claims that the West Philippine Sea is part of its exclusive economic zone under the international law. China, meanwhile, is asserting its historical claim over the area through the so-called nine-dash line.

Last March, the Philippines brought its territorial dispute with China before the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. Beijing rejected the arbitration proceedings and insisted on bilateral talks to settle to issue.

'Holding hands'

President Benigno Aquino III will attend the APEC summit in Beijing from November 9 to 11.

During Wednesday's briefing, Del Rosario pointed out that the Philippines and China will have to work together in the coming summit to make sure that unsettled economic issues will be tackled next year.

The Philippines will host the APEC summit in 2015.

"In effect, we will be holding hands to make sure that issues not tackled this year will be carried over next year," the DFA official said.

She added that Chinese officials are "looking forward" to the Philippines' attendance in the APEC summit in Beijing.

Aquino is expected to talk to APEC business leaders on November 9 on his administration's economic reforms.

Del Rosario also said that the President will hold bilateral talks with Latin American leaders at the sidelines of the APEC summit to encourage them to invest in the Philippines.

The APEC is a 21-member economic forum whose primary goal "is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region."

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/385700/news/nation/phl-china-sea-row-won-t-be-tackled-in-apec-summit-in-beijing