DFA: Conditions for Noy’s China visit inimical to Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed yesterday that China had set conditions for President Aquino’s attendance in an international trade fair in Nanning that were “inimical” to Philippine interests.

The DFA chose not to state the conditions which led to the cancellation of Aquino’s attendance in the 10th ASEAN-China Expo (CAEXPO).

“To avoid embarrassment on the Chinese side, we will not state these conditions but you may wish to address this specific question to Ambassador Ma Keqing,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a press briefing.

“We were advised that these conditions should not be made public and should not be discussed at ministerial level,” he added.

The DFA official said China’s “unusual” requests were delivered by at least three Chinese Foreign Ministry sources.

“There were subsequent concerns and conditions to the President’s attendance and such conditions were absolutely inimical to our national interest,” he said.

“The President stood firm in the defense of the country’s national interest,” he stressed.

Sources told The STAR on Thursday that China asked the Philippines to withdraw first the case filed by Manila in the arbitral tribunal challenging China’s excessive claims in the South China Sea before the President’s visit.

Sources also said that the Chinese ambassador conveyed to the Philippine side that Aquino was not welcome in China.

The DFA announced on Thursday that Aquino would not attend the CAEXPO after the Chinese side requested the President to visit China at a “more conducive” time.

The STAR reported on Friday that the Philippines rejected the condition set by China to withdraw its case.

When asked whether the President was given appropriate and timely advice on the issue, Hernandez said “as in all matters of foreign policy importance, the President is regularly advised in a timely and confidential manner.”

This year, the Philippines is the “country of honor” at the CAEXPO, which opens today and ends on Sept. 6. The President of the country of honor usually attends the international trade fair.

ASEAN countries had strongly urged the Philippines to send the country’s highest official to highlight the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership this year.

“Although the President does not need to be specifically invited, the documents we have on the DFA website will show that he was, in fact, invited,” Hernandez stressed.

The DFA said the country will continue to abide by its principled position that bilateral relations can advance despite differences.

The Philippines reminded China on several occasions that the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) is not the sum total of the bilateral relations even as tensions over disputed islands escalated.

To peacefully and finally settle the disputes in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines asked China to join Manila in validating the two countries’ territorial claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

China addressed a note verbale to the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Aug. 1 that reiterated its rejection of the case filed by the Philippines and Beijing’s refusal to participate in the proceedings.

But the DFA said the arbitral tribunal proceedings will continue even without the participation of China.

The Philippines and China have been embroiled in increasingly antagonistic territorial disputes. Last year, China seized a shoal near the northwestern coast of the Philippines, and this year it demanded that the Philippine Navy withdraw from Second Thomas Shoal farther south.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and its island groups on historical grounds with its so-called 9-dash line claim. – With AP