Estrada to reaffirm one-China policy

President Estrada leaves today for a five-day official visit to Beijing to reaffirm the Philippines' one-China policy amid recurrent strains in bilateral relations over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea.

The presidential trip also comes even as international pressure mounts for a resolution of the hostage crisis in Sulu and Basilan.

Senate Minority Leader Teofisto Guingona urged Mr. Estrada to cancel the China visit until the hostage crisis has been resolved.

"The President's departure may appear as a cavalier disregard for the lives of the hostages, some of whom have been reported ill," Guingona said.

Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora co-chairs a "caretaker committee" that will attend to the affairs of governance in Mr. Estrada's absence.

Justifying Mr. Estrada's China visit, Zamora said it is not just a goodwill trip.

"This is a very important visit," Zamora said, adding it presented an opportunity for the Philippines to strengthen its ties with a "principal player."

Zamora also assured the people they have an "efficient communications setup" that would enable the Chief Executive to monitor developments in the country on a daily basis.

The 21 hostages from seven countries are being held by the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in Jolo with no clear signs yet on their release.

Mr. Estrada will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Jiang Zemin, at the Great Hall of the People and Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rhongji who visited Manila last November.

Mr. Estrada and Zemin will discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against transnational crime, agriculture and trade.

The two leaders are also expected to tackle their overlapping claims on certain islands and reefs at the Spratlys which are believed to be sitting atop vast mineral and oil deposits. Other claimants are Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Forging stronger cooperation on regional stability is high on Mr. Estrada's agenda, a Malacañang statement said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. said the two leaders will witness the signing of a document reaffirming the Philippines' one-China policy.

"This is the most important document to be signed related to the comprehensive framework which lays down the basic principles of RP-China relations, such as good neighborliness, respect for international law, principle of settlement of disputes, one-China policy and other agreements," Siazon said.

Manila has been seeking Beijing's help in boosting its food security program, the centerpiece agenda of the Estrada administration.

Mr. Estrada said the Philippines can learn much in attaining food security from China which has a population of 1.2 billion, through its use of modern agricultural techniques.

Aside from Beijing, the President will also visit Shanghai, Xiamen and Fujian.

He will witness the signing of agreements on culture, science, technology, agriculture and trade.

Among the documents is a private sector contract for the setting up of a Bank of China branch in Manila and a Philippine bank in Beijing.

To resolve the Spratlys dispute, Manila has proposed a regional code of conduct which would guide actions taken by claimant-countries to ward off confrontations.

The Philippine Navy has caught several Chinese fishing boats poaching in the waters around Scarborough Shoal, a 16-kilometer rock formation lying within the country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

Manila has also accused China of building garrison-like structures on certain islands being claimed by the Philippines.

Included in the presidential party are the First Lady Dr. Luisa Ejercito, Siazon, Press Secretary Ricardo Puno, Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara, Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim, Finance Secretary Jose Pardo and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Rafael Buenaventura.

Also in the party are Sen. Anna Dominique Coseteng, South Cotabato Rep. Lualhati Antonino, Caloocan City Rep. Luis Asistio, Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez, National Food Authority Administrator Nonato Joson and Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Ramon Cardenas.

Mr. Estrada and his party will take a chartered Philippine Airlines flight.

Puno said the President may take a side trip to Tokyo on the way home to pay his respects to Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who died last Sunday at 62.

"I think he wants to go (to Tokyo). He feels that the former Prime Minister Obuchi was a special friend of the Philippines and that he extended assistance to the Philippines at a time we needed it most," Puno said.

Obuchi set up a multimillion-dollar fund to help bail out Asian countries hit by the 1997 regional currency crisis.

Meanwhile, Guingona expressed apprehensions that Mr. Estrada's absence might delay the release of the foreign hostages in Sulu.

For his part, Sen. Francisco Tatad who was in the list of the presidential party, said he begged off because there are more urgent matters to attend to in the country. -