(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte will be extending his stay in Vietnam by two hours because of his bilateral meeting on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping where he will discuss the country’s friendship with China as well as worries by the ASEAN on seeming militarization in the disputed South China Sea.
Duterte said as the ASEAN chair he would have to bring the “voice of the ASEAN” in his bilateral meeting with Xi tomorrow, Saturday, November 11.
“We are friends but what is the role here of everybody…I am chair of ASEAN and I have to carry the voice of the ASEAN. I have to tell the truth that everybody is worried,” Duterte said in a press conference shortly after meeting the Filipino community in Danang, Vietnam.
He said he would would ask China about the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea that would govern and guide countries with claims on the disputed sea.
ASEAN worries on South China Sea
While Duterte said that he would “not want to lose the friendship of China,” he said there was nothing wrong with expressing the worry of the claimant countries about the military facilities set up by China in the region.
“It is not wrong for me to tell China that you have already placed heavy artillery there. It puts us worried and wary because we are also using the passage,” the President said.
“In the bilaterals, I would insist that we hurry up. I do not want to lose the friendship of China. China is a good friend. China was there when we needed most their help,” Duterte said.
But he added: “I have to tell the truth that everybody is worried.”
Duterte will meet with Xi after the APEC meeting in Vietnam, as the Chinese leader will not attend the 31st ASEAN Summit and related meetings scheduled here in Manila.
Instead, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend the ASEAN Summit and the other related summits. He will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Duterte during his five-day official visit to the country.
“During this visit, Premier Li Keqiang will hold talks with President Duterte and meet with other leaders from the Philippine side. Both sides will witness the signing of the cooperation documents in relevant areas,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press conference Monday.
“Premier Li Keqiang’s visit is the first visit of the Chinese Premier to the Philippines since the last visit ten years ago,” Hua added.
