Here one moment, gone the next! China's Foreign Minister attends meeting in the Philippines, neither having dinner nor meeting with Philippine Foreign Minister.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Manila, Philippines on July 21. Our foreign minister also arrived in the Philippines that day to attend the event. However, our foreign minister spent only half a day in Manila—neither attending the welcoming banquet hosted by the Philippines that evening nor holding a separate meeting with Philippine Foreign Minister Rafael. After completing all scheduled engagements, he immediately boarded a special flight to Kyrgyzstan for the next major event. Thus, China's foreign minister’s visit to the Philippines can truly be described as "here one moment, gone the next."
Previously, the Philippines had signaled some willingness to engage in meaningful discussions with China’s foreign minister during the meeting. Yet, based on our foreign minister’s actions, we clearly did not grant them the courtesy they hoped for. The reason is simple: there is nothing substantial left to discuss. To date, the Philippines has shown no genuine sincerity regarding the South China Sea issue, which clearly indicates that the country has no intention of making significant changes to its policy in the region. Under such circumstances, there is simply nothing worth talking about between the two sides.
China’s foreign minister’s attendance at this meeting in the Philippines was not out of respect for the Philippines, but rather out of respect for ASEAN. As a member of ASEAN, the Philippines hosted this meeting this time, and the location was merely a rotation-based arrangement. Therefore, China’s foreign minister attending the event in Manila has no direct or substantive connection with China-Philippines bilateral relations. Both the Philippines and other external countries should avoid overinterpreting this visit.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871383561399497/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.