Top Chinese diplomat to arrive in Manila Friday

MANILA, Philippines — Amid a relative calm in the still unresolved dispute over the West Philippine Sea, a top Chinese diplomat is set to visit Manila on Friday to meet with Philippine foreign officials for regular bilateral consultations, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday night.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying, former Chinese Ambassador to Manila, will arrive in the country on October 19 for the 18th Foreign Ministry Consultations (FMC) , a regular discussion on forwarding ties between the two nations.

Fu will visit Manila amid rumors tagging her in backchannel talks with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who recently disclosed that President Benigno Aquino III had tapped him to pursue backdoor negotiations with China to simmer down tensions over the Scarborough Shoal.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has not issued a comment on the reports. Trillanes said he had brokered the pullout of Chinese vessels from the waters around the resource-rich Scarborough Shoal, a rock formation off Zambales, amid a tense standoff with Philippine vessels earlier this year.

The DFA said Fu would meet with senior Philippine diplomats “to review existing cooperation and chart future direction of Philippines-China diplomatic relations.”

Fu was among Chinese officials who met with Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas on the sidelines of a trade expo in Nanning, China in September, along with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.  China declared that “tensions have eased” between Manila and Beijing following the Nanning meetings.

During the consultation, the Philippine panel will be headed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda Basilio.  Fu is also expected to meet with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.

The DFA described the FMC as “a regular bilateral mechanism” where senior officials discuss issues of mutual concern and talk about furthering cooperation in different areas, including economic ties, tourism, culture and education exchange, defense and security relations, agriculture and fisheries programs, cooperation on transportation and communication and consular matters.

Fu is among high-ranking Chinese diplomatic officials handling Asia, boundary and ocean affairs and translation and interpretation,according to her profile on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official website.

Sourced: globalnation