China a gracious host despite sea row – Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, Malacañang said China is a “very gracious host” to all the delegates attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte made the comment yesterday from Beijing, as she was part of President Aquino’s delegation.

She said there was no awkward moment during the APEC summit, which provided government and business leaders the opportunity to tackle economic issues.

“I did not sense any awkwardness when the President attended the CEO summit yesterday. He also did not mention anything… The truth of the matter is China has been a gracious host to all member-economies that have come to attend the APEC summit,” Valte told reporters.

Valte also said the maritime dispute was not tackled during the APEC meeting, which focused on economic issues.

“You have to remember APEC is essentially about economic cooperation and as mentioned by the executive director of the APEC Dr. Alan Bollard, it’s really not expected that politics will be an issue,” she added.

“It’s really a gathering of leaders of 21 member-economies to talk about economic issues like regional economic integration, global value supply chain and issues that involve the economy,” she stressed.

The Philippines will host the next APEC summit and ministerial meetings next year.

The relationship between the Philippines and China has been strained by the West Philippine Sea dispute, an issue that some experts believe will have an impact on regional trade if not resolved.

China claims virtually the entire region while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims. To assert its claims, China has intensified its maritime patrols and occupied disputed areas, including those that are within the Philippine continental shelf.

The Philippines, one of the weakest in the region in terms of military might, has filed a complaint against China’s excessive claims before an international arbitral tribunal. But China has declined to respond to the complaint and insisted that it has indisputable sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea.