Noy: Xi wants to return to Philippines

KUALA LUMPUR – Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to come back to the Philippines, a wish he voiced shortly before leaving Manila after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit last week, President Aquino said Sunday night.

He said the language barrier may explain why he and Xi appeared “aloof” to each other during APEC events.

Aquino said a technical problem with a translator’s equipment may have created the impression that he and the Chinese leader were giving each other the cold shoulder.

The President was in the Malaysian capital for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) summit.

“In the beginning, maybe there was a lot on his mind. The reaction was very minimal when the (Cabinet) secretary who welcomed him was talking to him. When he was about to go home, he became very animated. He  expressed thanks and was hoping to go back soon,” Aquino said.

Aquino said when there was technical problem with the translation equipment during a session, Xi had to stop a few times.

He said even United States President Barack Obama had to intervene. He said he felt embarrassed and apologized to Xi over a late lunch.

“Then what he told me was that, that’s technical and things like that really happen. Then in the end, there was no blaming and he thanked me for the explanation. That’s how I understood it. He really accepted that there was no bad intention,” Aquino said.

But he said the Philippines and China still do not see eye to eye on the South China Sea issue despite Xi’s warming up a bit.

The President also revealed that he and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang exchanged greetings during the ASEAN summit here but “right now, our positions have not really met.”

In a press briefing, the President said he did not have a bilateral meeting with any of the Chinese leaders and that Xi always needed an interpreter.

“When I greet him ‘good morning,’ his answer would be in Chinese. When we were walking to the (APEC) function (in Manila), he did not have an interpreter beside him and I also did not have an interpreter,” he said.

“We (had) in the middle of (Chilean) President (Michelle) Bachelet. So it’s really difficult to talk if you have different languages... I read somewhere that we were aloof. It’s not aloof. Really, when there is no translator, there is no dialogue,” Aquino said.

Meanwhile, Aquino said it was during one of the sessions here – in Li’s presence – when he spoke about the need for China to show true leadership in politics and economics by working on peaceful and effective resolution of the maritime issue with its smaller neighbors.

“His answer, more or less, was at least they reiterated that we should continue talking to formulate the code of conduct. We really hope to have a code of conduct. In my view, more or less, his reaction was good,” Aquino said. 

No intimidation

Earlier, President Aquino said China cannot use its massive land reclamation and construction of military facilities to assert sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and West Philippine Sea even as Beijing insisted it has no intention of militarizing the strategically vital area.

Aquino said he could only hope Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin was telling the truth when he said the Chinese construction of artificial islands in the sea was designed to “provide public service” to the region by helping ships and fishermen and disaster relief efforts.  – Jaime Laude, Ding Cervantes