Even Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was “excited” to meet Duterte, who “is quite a famous figure also in Japan”. But the waters of the sea approach the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
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North Korea’s defiant missile testing and the South China Sea territorial row were among a barrage of security threats in focus Thursday as US President Barack Obama gathered with East Asian leaders in Laos.
Ahead of his visit, Modi said on Tuesday that southeast Asia was the key to the development of India’s northeastern region.
China has claims to areas which are also claimed by Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
At the East Asia Summit, leaders will discuss matters of regional and worldwide interests including maritime security, terrorism, non-proliferation and migration.
‘What was underlined by countries like Singapore and the Philippines was the importance of the rule of law and adhering to worldwide bodies that govern this, ‘ Philippine Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.
“It has helped us build a regional order where all countries big and small, can play by the same rules, compete and resolve their disputes peacefully, including in the South China Sea”.
The Prime Minister will attend the 11th East Asia Summit on Thursday on whose sidelines, he will hold bilateral meetings with several leaders.
Our ties with the countries of South East Asia are truly historic, ” he said.
“Given the significance of the 25th anniversary of the Asean-China dialogue relation, the Asean-China Summit this year will convene a special ceremony to mark the occasion”, he said.
It was an apparent attempt to publicize its concerns before ASEAN leaders met with Chinese Premier Li Kequiang in the Laotian capital in a side summit.
In a statement to be issued at the end of the meeting, the leaders were expected to express serious worries over Chinese land reclamation in the South China Sea.
EAS is held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings.
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The Philippines took its dispute with China to the worldwide tribunal some years ago, but the country’s new president, Rodrigo Duterte, who took office on June 30, has been more conciliatory toward China.
