12 June 2016 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Rene Almendras is travelling tomorrow, June 13, to Kunming, China to attend the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on June 13-14, 2016.
This special meeting was initially taken up in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat last February 27 in Vientiane and was proposed to China, with the purpose of discussing concerns of ASEAN Member States on the South China Sea and to intensify high-level dialogue to address pressing challenges related to the situation on the ground. The agenda will also cover the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations.
The Philippines looks forward to participating in the meeting, which upholds ASEAN centrality on regional issues.
The Philippines reiterates its commitment to working within the ASEAN-China process to pursue the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct. Within this framework, the Philippines continues to advocate for the exercise of self-restraint necessary to reduce the level of tensions and calls on parties to take actions which enhance peace and stability.
Philippine foreign policy on the South China Sea is guided by its commitment to a principled foreign policy and on its firm belief in the rule of law.
Arbitration is among the legal and diplomatic processes promoting the rule of law in the region, and is fully consistent with the DOC and the region's efforts to peacefully manage and resolve the disputes in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. END