Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos said Friday that China has welcomed him to visit Beijing for discussions in the wake of last month’s worldwide arbitration panel’s ruling in favor of the Philippines over China’s South China Sea maritime claims.
Advertisement
A UN-backed tribunal last month rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea which reach close to the coasts of the Philippines and other South-east Asian nations.
Ramos served as the Philippine president from 1992 to 1998, the same period when China occupied the Mischief Reef.
Officials said some of the Chinese ships left following the accident.
The decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration was widely seen as a victory for the Philippines which has challenged China’s claims to the vital waterway.
Japan has no claim in the South China Sea but it is in dispute with China over small islands in the East China Sea.
The China-Philippines relationship was hurt by an arbitration case unilaterally initiated by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.
Asean remains divided on the South China Sea disputes.
“Xu Fuxiang, Head of the Gaofen 3 project, said: “…considering China has a total of 32,000 kilometres of coastline, 380,000 square kilometres [38 million ha] of territorial seas and more than 6,500 islands that have an area of at least 500 square metres [0.05ha], satellites like the Gaofen 3 will be very useful in safeguarding the country’s maritime rights and interests”.
Alunan said the “status quo ante” means both sides agreed to go back to the way things were prior to the eruption of the conflict over Scarborough Shoal in 2012, when the Philippines apprehended Chinese vessels in the area and seized endangered marine species.
“I would also describe our trip as a ‘food trip”, Alunan said, referring to the hospitality of their Chinese hosts, who made sure they were well-fed during their stay in Hong Kong.
Ramos said he hoped that a second round of discussions would take place soon, adding that the venue for further talks had not been decided yet.
“They discussed, in their private capacity, the way forward in the spirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood for peace and cooperation between the two countries”, the joint statement said.
No date for the formal talks have been announced.
Mr Ohtaka added Japan was also open to building a railway in the southern region of Mindanao, a project Mr Duterte previously said China had offered to fund.
Advertisement
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
