DFA secretary leaves for China today

MANILA, Philippines - Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario leaves today for an official visit to China upon the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Among the issues expected to be discussed are the developments in the territorial disputes at the West Philippine Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Del Rosario would also meet Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is also vice chair of the Central Military Commission.

The DFA said del Rosario’s visit to China is intended to advance bilateral relations.

“My visit is not just about the West Philippine Sea (dispute), but on moving relations forward,” Del Rosario told officers of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies (PACS) who called on him yesterday.

“We will also talk about the West Philippine Sea, and see if we can find areas of convergence,” he added. “We want to keep lines of communication open, even agree to disagree, and try to find areas of agreement.”

During his visit, the two sides are expected to talk about a wide range of topics including trade, investment, culture, tourism, defense cooperation, education, science and technology, people-to-people relations and cooperation against transnational crimes.

Over the past 36 years of diplomatic relations, the Philippines and China have signed over 100 agreements on trade, investments, tourism, education and security, and Del Rosario will be discussing ways to move these forward.

“Secretary del Rosario says he expects to discuss the West Philippine Sea issue although this particular issue in not the sum total of Philippines’ relations with China,” the DFA said.

China invited Del Rosario amid tension in the West Philippine Sea and Chinese ships intrusion. The Secretary will visit China ahead of President Aquino’s state visit.

“I’ve been invited to go to Beijing and we’re looking for peaceful means to settle the challenges facing us,” he said.

Del Rosario said he would also discuss the state visit of President Aquino to China, which might take place by August or September this year.

China had earlier warned the United states not to meddle in the disputes and rejected the use of the concern on freedom of navigation for the involvement of non-claimant countries in the dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

Del Rosario told the PACS officers that the Philippine position with regards to China and the US is “not a zero sum game.”

“We are out to build relations with China, with the US, with everyone we have diplomatic relations with.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said China’s position on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) is clear and consistent.

The DFA summoned the Chinese embassy’s charge d’affaires Bai Tian to convey to the Chinese government the Philippines’ serious concerns over sightings of China Marine Surveillance (CMS) vessel and other People’s Liberation Army Navy ships in the West Philippine Sea unloading building materials and erecting an undetermined number of posts.

The DFA Office of Asia and Pacific Affairs conveyed to Bai Tian its serious concerns over actions of China in the West Philippine Sea on May 31 and sought Beijing’s explanation on the incident.

Citing reports from the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the DFA requested clarification from the embassy on the recent sightings of a CMS vessel and other People’s Liberation Army Navy ships at the vicinity of Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the West Philippine Sea.