No coercion, force in sea row – France

MANILA, Philippines - France renewed its call for a peaceful resolution of the West Philippine Sea dispute during a meeting between its leader President Francois Hollande and President Aquino at Malacañang.

“We reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability in Southeast Asia and promoting maritime security, freedom of navigation and the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” Aquino said in a statement Thursday night after a tete-a-tete and expanded bilateral meeting with Hollande at Malacañang.

In a Joint Declaration on the Enhanced Partnership between the Philippines and France, Aquino and Hollande affirmed their “opposition to any acquisition or claim, by coercion or force, of any or all territory of a State by another State, in violation of international law, especially the Charter of the United Nations.”

“We call for a full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea in fostering peace and stability,” they said.

In the same declaration, the two leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and called on the international community to work together in fighting it.

“Our enhanced partnership will also be pursued through regular bilateral political consultations between our foreign ministries, through meetings of the Joint Economic Committee, and through the framework provided by the bilateral Defense Cooperation Arrangement between our defense ministries,” they said.

The two leaders did not mention China but Beijing’s construction spree as well as its effective occupation of disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea had been widely reported in the media.

The Philippines had filed an arbitration case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea against China to clarify maritime entitlements and counter aggressive Chinese behavior in disputed areas.

Manila has also been urging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to make a stronger stand for a multilateral and peaceful resolution of the dispute, along with other regional groupings like the European Union.

Hollande met Aquino in September last year in Paris where they discussed peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region and expressed their objection to occupation of disputed areas by force.

Meeting for the first time during Aquino’s “milestone” visit in France, the two leaders stressed their commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law.

Aquino received red carpet treatment from Hollande at the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the president of the French Republic.

Business interest

In his meeting Thursday with Aquino, Hollande also cited his country’s growing business interest in the Philippines.

Describing his visit as “exceptional” being the first for a French president, Hollande revealed there would be an economic joint committee meeting in June between the two countries to assess the agreements that they had signed.

“Your country has been facing terrible disasters and I commend your action to mobilize your country to rebuild it as well as to strengthen the rule of law to tackle corruption and to deal with domestic conflicts,” Hollande told Aquino in a toast during the state dinner Thursday night.

“We want to build a sustainable partnership and this is one of the reasons why we put together an economic joint committee. It will meet in Paris in June and on other occasions,” Hollande said.

Hollande noted there were more than 100 French companies in the Philippines and “many still indeed wanted to come to the Philippines with me today because we want to bring more answers and support your projects for your country in order to support green growth.”