The Philippines is expecting to get the support of fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members with regards to the South China Sea issue during Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo’s participation at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Laos.
Manalo will meet his fellow top diplomats in Vientiane from July 24 to 28 to discuss regional and international issues, with ASEAN's advocacies on maritime security and cooperation and the rule of law as his prominent focus during the discussion.
According to DFA, negotiations on the ASEAN foreign ministers' joint communique are ongoing.
But the Philippines will continue to articulate its consistent positions on the South China Sea issue, as it has done in past ASEAN meetings, DFA said.
And is the country expecting any condemnation from fellow ASEAN members on China's aggression in the West Philippine Sea? DFA answered: It is always the Philippines’ goal for statements issued by ASEAN to accurately reflect the current situation on the ground.
"For our part, we anticipate that China will be present for all engagements in ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) + 1 Session with China, 25th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (APT FMM), 14th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (EAS FMM), and 31st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)," DFA said.
"We will continue to articulate our consistent positions on the South China Sea issue in these meetings, as appropriate," it added.