Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying arrived into Manila on Monday night (November 16) and was welcomed by Filipino officials ahead of the the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Apart from attending the APEC Leaders’ Meeting which begins on Wednesday (November 18), Leung is also scheduled to speak at the APEC CEO Summit on Tuesday.
Hong Kong and the Philippines maintain close economic ties, with more than 150,000 Filipinos working mostly as domestic helpers in the country, the Philippine foreign affairs ministry said.
On Tuesday morning (November 17), Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang arrived into Manila’s international airport.
Manila and Hanoi are due to sign a strategic partnership deal governing how their navies will work together.
Both countries also have disputed Chinese claims over the South China Sea. Beijing’s claim to almost the entire resource-rich sea is shown on Chinese maps with a nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the waterway
Vietnamese and Philippine officials have previously described the nine-dash line as a direct violation of international laws, particularly the United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS).
APEC, which accounts for 60 percent of global output and nearly half of world trade, is aiming for a larger free-trade area for its 21 economies by 2025, but a re-emergence in some states of protectionism as growth stutters could be a hindrance. (Reuters)
