Aquino to meet with China president on APEC sidelines

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III will meet with several visiting heads of states during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Metro Manila next week, including one with the Chinese president.

Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., director general of the APEC National Organizing Council, confirmed this in a press briefing in Malacañang on Monday ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Metro Manila on November 18 and 19.

Paynor said Aquino will hold bilateral meetings with 11 heads of states.

While a bilateral meeting between Aquino and Chinese President Xi Jinping has not been scheduled yet, the two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

"There is a meeting on the sides of the summit itself. But no formal bilateral meetings yet," Paynor said.

On Monday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Xi's attendance to the summit.

Aquino said recently that he would want to discuss about stability with the Chinese leader amid the ongoing dispute over the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

"All our governments are supposed to be there for the improvement of the lot of our people, improvement in their lives, and this can only happen if there’s stability. So if there is a central message that would be that I would want to convey," he said.

Aquino said he is "very open" to have a bilateral meeting with Xi.

The president added that he would meet with all visiting heads of states.

"I'd like to be the perfect host to all of my counterparts including the observer (Colombia), and in the two days, primarily, obviously I will try to engage all 21 in fruitful conversations," Aquino said.

Paynor said the chief executives of the 20 other APEC member economies are all expected to attend the summit.

"As far as the others who are coming are concerned, they are all coming as far as we know, unless they write to us officially that they are not," he said.

Apart from Xi, more than 10 leaders earlier confirmed their attendance to the summit, including United States President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, newly sworn-in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

Paynor said the Philippines is almost fully prepared to host the annual meeting of the 21 heads of states.

"I think we are about anywhere from 95-97 percent ready. What we are doing now is just fine-tuning all of the details that need to be done," Paynor said.

"We are prepared to receive 20 economic leaders from the various members of APEC," he added.