(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday night, June 21, to attend the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit to participate in the discussions of issues affecting the region, including how to resolve disputes in the South China Sea.
Before he left for Thailand, Duterte said he would raise the issue of China’s claim on the nine-dash line before the ASEAN Summit.
“I will talk lengthily about it dito sa ASEAN. It’s not a matter of ‘yung 10-dash [line] — nine-dash [line]. Simple lang: ‘Can you claim an ocean as your own?’ Because tell me now because I will also claim mine,” the President said in a speech on Friday at the oath-taking ceremony of his youngest son, Davao City vice-mayor Sebastian Duterte.
Duterte had previously said he would push for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea during the ASEAN summit as the Philippines is the current ASEAN-China dialogue coordinator.
The 74-year old Philippine leader questioned China’s claim on the nine-dash line, saying “Is it correct for China to declare ownership of an ocean?”
“Ako ang moderator for China sa ASEAN. But I’m posing this question: ‘Kaya mo ba mag-claim ng ownership ng ocean? (Can you claim ownership of an ocean). Because nobody can prevent America from claiming a third of the Pacific Ocean,” he said.
“Tsaka ang tanong ko lang sa China, we are friends. But you know, ang China, nag — you drew a line, dikit talaga sa mga coastline ng Vietnamese, Malaysia, diyan sa Brunei. Kaya ang sabi ko, “Is it correct for China to declare ownership of an ocean?”
-ASEAN Summit theme,“Advancing Partnerships for Sustainability”-
The President’s plane touched down at the Suvarnabhumi Airport at 10 p.m. (Bangkok time).
The 34th ASEAN Summit has for its theme “Advancing Partnerships for Sustainability.” This is President Duterte’s third visit to
Thailand following his trips to the Kingdom in March 2017 and November 2016.
President Duterte was welcomed by Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Protocol Director General Nadhavathna Krishnamra, as well as Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon, when he arrived in Thailand.
During the ASEAN summit, President Duterte will also join other leaders to discuss ways to further deepen regional cooperation to boost inclusive, equitable, and sustainable economic development and to promote and uphold the rights of migrant Filipino workers and other vulnerable groups.
The President will also raise other regional and global issues concerning security and stability in Southeast Asia and the larger Asia-Pacific region, including the South China Sea and the ongoing US-China trade war. Terrorism and violent extremism, climate change, transnational crimes, and drug trafficking are also on the agenda.
Working with ASEAN leaders, the President will assess the implementation of agreements in previous summits, including the initiatives under the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship in 2017 such as the ASEAN Consensus on the Promotion and Protection of Migrant Workers, the Action Agenda on Mainstreaming Women’s Economic Empowerment in ASEAN, and the ASEAN Declaration on Innovation.
ASEAN leaders joining President Duterte are the leaders of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Viet Nam.
On the sidelines of the summit, President Duterte will hold bilateral meetings with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha and Indonesian President Joko Widodo to further expand bilateral relations with the two neighboring countries.
Duterte is also scheduled to engage chief executive officers (CEOs) of Thailand’s top business conglomerates to promote the Philippines as a trade and investment destination.
The members of the President’s official delegation include Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, as well as Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon and Philippine Permanent Representative to ASEAN Noel Servigon.
(with a PND release)
