KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — President Aquino will travel to Malaysia on Sunday to attend a regional summit in a bid to sound the alarm against the large-scale reclamation activities of China in the South China Sea and press the rule of law in resolving the maritime conflict.
The President is expected to seek a stronger regional stand for the peaceful and rules-based settlement of the territorial dispute when he joins other leaders in the 26th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and related meetings this week.
“The President has already said that this is not a bilateral issue, this is not a regional issue, but the world should really be concerned on this issue because of several things, not only the freedom or the safety of navigation, but also the damage that is being done to the marine environment in the area,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Luis Cruz said in a recent press conference at the Palace.
The President is scheduled to depart Manila at 12 noon Sunday and arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 3:40 p.m.
Joining the President in Malaysia are Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., Presidential Management Staff Chief Julia Abad, NEDA Director General Arsenio Balisacan, and Mindanao Development Authority Chairperson Luwalhati Antonino.
Manila Bulletin
