US, Aust join hands on Asia maritime plan

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Manila, the Philippines, to attend the 23rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting, scheduled for November 18-19.

President Obama turned his attention away from the turmoil in the Middle East on Tuesday, arriving in the Philippines for a series of leadership summits and unveiling plans to deepen USA ties in Southeast Asia.

Obama says the pair of ships – one U.S. Coast Guard cutter, one research vessel – were part of a broader American plan to scale up assistance to naval forces in Southeast Asia.

Obama did not mention China but the symbolism of his visit was hard to miss: the ageing vessel is now a mainstay of the Philippine Navy, operating around the Spratly islands in the South China Sea that are claimed by both Manila and Beijing. As he toured the Gregorio del Pilar, U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer the USS Fitzgerald was docked in Manila to provide security for the APEC summit.

The compact is part of a broader effort to strengthen USA presence – and counter China – in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) business officials on Tuesday expressed optimism about China’s economy, saying the country has achieved remarkable growth in the past 30 years and its economy will continue prosperity after structural transformation.

The attacks Friday by suspected Islamic State group extremists killed 129 people and wounded 350 others.

At this year’s APEC summit, President Park and other Asia-Pacific leaders will work on building inclusive economies and sustainable and resilient communities.

The United States is not alone in bringing up the South China Sea disputes. The US showed solidarity with the Philippines by conducting military manoeuvrs recently near islands where China has reclaimed land and built settlements to shore up its claims. The result of these gatherings of top regional leaders means a time for diplomatic focus on areas of concern – and in the Asian context, that means a heavy emphasis on the South China Sea disputes.

The USA has “an ironclad commitment” to defend its ally the Philippines, Obama said. During a trip to Manila, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi carried the message that China did not want the maritime disputes, involving overlapping claims from Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, on the agenda.

The survey also said the US-led TPP trade pact, when completed, will add about $223 billion and the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) about $644 billion.

Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein warned yesterday (Nov 16) that his country’s leaders were being targeted by Islamic State, a message he said was important to reveal in order to instill a sense of urgency in combating such groups.

Rosario, who also serves as the Philippines’ secretary of foreign affairs, highlighted two major achievements of APEC 2015 as a Services Cooperation Framework to promote services reform efforts and a Strategy for Strengthening Quality Growth were agreed upon.

Philstar.com quoted U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg as saying that Obama and Aquino will tackle the EDCA in a bilateral meeting Wednesday.

In wake of the Paris attack, the Philippine government has beefed up the already tightened security control, with about 20,000 policemen being mobilized to ensure safety of all the visiting dignitaries and delegates.