Urgent need to cooperate against terrorism — APEC leaders

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said there was a previous agreement to “officially” keep the dispute out of the APEC agenda, as well as in the 2015 Manila Declaration.

During the sidelines of APEC Leaders’ Meeting, the Philippine government through President Benigno Aquino III and his Cabinet was able to seal deals on military modernization, trade, strategic partnerships, cooperation in risk reduction, transportation, tourism, technical vocational training, health, anti-illegal drugs drive, avoidance of taxation and support for the overseas Filipino workers, among others with various APEC economy members.

“With respect to Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, obviously, the Philippines has to go through its process in the Supreme Court review”.

Obama held his first official meeting with new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, and the two leaders discussed issues ranging from security to the environment to the new 12-nation trade pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which lowers tariffs and other barriers to commerce among Pacific rim countries.

The SC has deferred at least twice its ruling on the petitions questioning the Philippines’ EDCA with the US.

THE 21 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation on Thursday issued a statement in which they strongly condemned recent attacks in Paris, Beirut and against the Russian aircraft over the Sinai.

In deference to Xi, the APEC leaders’ did not officially tackle the issue.

“In the main APEC speeches, the SCS disputes were brushed aside.

The presence of President Xi (Jinping) definitely added to the APEC’s gravitas, and he could not have been unaware of the others’ viewpoint”, Belmonte, a lawyer, said.

While Asean has yet to take a collective stand about China’s activities in the South China Sea, its secretary general said it was no surprise member countries are looking for peaceful ways to challenge it.

On Wednesday, shortly before the trade talks got under way, Mr. Obama repeated Washington’s demand that China halt any further land reclamation and militarization.

Later reports said demonstrators attempted to reach the summit venue by breaking through baton-wielding police deploying lines of shields.

ABS-CBN news website posted pictures from eyewitness Angel Ramos-Canoy of the woman being helped off a motorcycle and assisted on the sidewalk, apparently in labor.

Trixie Logan, 19, says it’s “a bit off because it’s like fake beauty, because they hid the problems around just to say that the Philippines is attractive”.

Obama will also “very directly” raise concerns with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Kuala Lumpur about the status of the country’s opposition, including the imprisonment of a few, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said. Japan has also sparred with Beijing over their conflicting claims to uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

In regards to the relationship between the existing regional trade arrangements and FTAAP, Zhang said they neither contradict nor try to supplant one another, but are closely related, even complementary.

“If the whole idea is to broaden trade, making it exclusive actually defeats the whole goal of why you enter into all of these agreements”, Aquino said earlier in the week.