‘Phl will be able to convince China on Code of Conduct’

MANILA, Philippines - With China’s impending leadership change, the Philippines is optimistic it “will be able to convince” Beijing to be receptive to its proposed Code of Conduct on territorial disputes in the Asian region like the West Philippine Sea issue.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez told Malacañang reporters yesterday that President Aquino’s attendance to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia from Nov. 18 to 20 would be key to this progress.

 “What we expect to happen is that we will be able to convince China to commit on starting the negotiation on the Code of Conduct for the good and stability and peace in the region,” Hernandez said.

And while the transition from President Hu Jintao - who will be attending the 21st ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh for the last time - to leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping may be “domestic” in nature, this will logically affect bilateral and regional issues as well.

“What we are hoping (is) that, with the leadership change, a positive development in the relationship between Asean and China as well as between China and the Philippines would be enhanced,” Hernandez said.

 “The leadership is really a domestic activity as far as China is concerned and that’s why we are also expecting that with the developments there, there would be an onward development as far as marine security and cooperation is concerned.”

Aquino will leave for Phnom Penh on Nov. 17 to join his fellow heads of state and ASEAN dialogue partners in the 21st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

Themed “ASEAN: One Community, One Destiny,” Hernandez said the Cambodia event is “timely as we move towards the vision of a one ASEAN community in 2015.” This year marks the 45th-year of ASEAN

Aquino is expected to push for maritime security and cooperation, the West Philippine Sea, people empowerment through migrant workers’ protection and welfare, human rights, and review of ASEAN charter, like having only one summit per year.

According to the DFA official, the timeline for the drafting of the COC may no longer be an issue, particularly because China had already made commitments “that they will start the negotiations when the time is right.”

“ASEAN is already ready with the elements of the COC and we are ready to negotiate with China. So we hope that China would respond positively and immediately tackle this issue so that we can have something binding for our issue on the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

On the issue of resolving the territorial dispute either bilaterally or multilaterally, the Aquino administration said the 10-member ASEAN should first be consulted on the matter, before this is turned over to Beijing for appropriate action.

“What is important here is to underscore the ASEAN centrality and, for ASEAN, it has always been the position that any initiatives should first be accepted and approved by the ASEAN, and only then would it be presented to other dialogue partners,” Hernandez said.

Obama’s Asean attendance to help boost Phl’s diplomatic tack in WPS issue

 When asked about the relevance of the re-election of US President Obama - who will be visiting Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia - Hernandez expressed optimism on the impact of the US leader’s presence in the summit. 

Hernandez also expects this would redound to the benefit of the position taken by the Philippines, where Aquino wants the territorial row with China settled only by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), pursuant to international laws.