VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
on Saturday expressed support to the Philippines’ efforts for a peaceful
resolution of the dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
President Benigno S. Aquino III
met yesterday with Lee at the sidelines of the 20th Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) Summit here.
“Singapore has committed to
continue its support in terms of a peaceful resolution of the disputes in
accordance with international law including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention
on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario
said in a press briefing at the Far East Federal University (FEFU), where the
summit is being held.
The two leaders “also expressed
the need for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to strengthen its solidarity
and its centrality in being able to reinforce the importance of ASEAN being an
entity that would promote peace and stability in the region,” del Rosario said.
He said Aquino thanked Lee “for
the very strong support that Singapore has given the Philippines in terms of
its position in the West Philippine Sea.”
With del Rosario at the bilateral
meeting were Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Energy Secretary Rene Almendras,
Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio
Balisacan, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Philippine Ambassador
Alejandro Mosquera, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International
Economic Relations Laura del Rosario.
Representing Singapore were
Singapore Ambassador to Russia Lim Kheng Hua, Ministry of Trade and Industry
Permanent Secretary Ow Foong Pheng, Prime Minister Press Secretary Chen Hwai
Liang, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General Wong Chow Ming, Ministry of
Trade and Industry Director Rossman Ithnain.
The Philippines has time and
again stressed its sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea which is how it
calls the South China Sea, noting that the extent of the Philippines’ territory
and maritime zones are clearly defined by Philippine and international laws,
specifically the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Lawsof the Sea (UNCLOS).
China and the Philippines had a
standoff in the Scarborough Shoal last April. The Philippines insisted that the
shoal is part of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The two countries have staked
claims in the Spratlys along with Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. The
area is believed to contain substantial undersea oil reserves.
Del Rosario confirmed that Aquino
is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The meeting of the two
leaders has sparked the interest of foreign media covering the APEC summit.
He did not say when the meeting
will take place.
“The parties that are responsible
for setting up the meeting are still in discussion. But the meeting will take
place as I said, and it’s a matter of setting the schedule,” del Rosario said,
noting that a “reasonable time will be allocated for the meeting.”
Del Rosario said the West
Philippine Sea issue will likely be discussed. “It’s a subject that’s difficult
to avoid in a discussion between the Philippines and China,” he said.
It will be the first time the two
leaders will meet after President Aquino’s state visit to China in August last
year.
“In their last meeting when the
President was invited for a state visit to China, there was an agreement that
the disputes in the South China Sea are not the sum total of the relations,”
del Rosario said.
MADEL R. SABATER
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