No date yet for Binay's visit to China

MANILA, Philippines - China’s ambassador to Manila said yesterday that his country has not yet set a date when it will receive the high-level delegation led by Vice President Jejomar Binay that will submit the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) report and review.

“We welcome the initiative and we are working on the arrangement for such a visit,” Ambassador Liu Jianchao said.

But Liu declined to comment when asked if China’s confidence in the Philippine government was affected by Malacañang’s decision not to adopt most of the IIRC recommendations.

“I think what we should achieve is to have our exchange of people come back and that could mean lifting of the ban to the Philippines by Hong Kong authorities. In order for them to lift the ban, they have to be convinced that measures are taken by the Philippine side to ensure safety and security of tourists from Hong Kong and from other parts of China,” he said.

Liu admitted that they have received mixed signals that Malacañang would not adopt all the IIRC recommendations even before it came out with its final report on Monday. 

However, he refused to comment on the matter until he sees the document.

The ambassador earlier said that the visit of the Philippine delegation to China is still “relevant” even after the submission of the IIRC report to the Chinese embassy in Manila before it was reviewed by Malacañang because it is an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on how to settle the issue, move on and further improve bilateral relations.

While the scheduling and arrangement for the delegation’s visit is still to be finalized, Liu stressed China welcomes the Philippine initiative.

The Philippines proposed the visit to China out of goodwill in the early stages of the aftermath of the Aug. 23 hostage crisis. Liu could not confirm the Chinese officials that the delegation will meet during the visit.