Rody to discuss sea row in Vietnam; Japan, China visits eyed

MANILA, Philippines - The South China Sea will be among the issues to be taken up by President Duterte when he goes on a working visit to Vietnam next week.

Vietnam, like the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan, has a claim in the South China Sea.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said yesterday he is sure that the maritime flashpoint would be discussed in a meeting between the President and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The Philippines won its case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in July.

Vietnam supported the Philippine move to bring its case to The Hague court by filing a statement on Dec. 11, 2014. It rejected China’s “nine-dash line” as it also asked the court to take note of Vietnam’s claims.

Asked what the Philippines will gain from the working visit, Andanar said it would strengthen bilateral trade.

“Our bigger objective in the President’s trip to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is boosting bilateral trade,” he told reporters in Filipino.

Duterte received the invitation to visit Vietnam on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane, Laos early this month when he attended a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen.

Malacañang has yet to give a formal announcement on the Vietnam trip.

Japan, China visits planned

Meanwhile, diplomats are in talks with counterparts in Japan and China to try and arrange visits for the President at the end of October, foreign affairs officials said yesterday.

Dates were still being worked out for the proposed trips, they said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

The two visits would be among Duterte’s first as president. He attended a summit of Asian leaders in Laos earlier this month and has been to Indonesia.