The APEC conference did not discuss the South China Sea issue.
According to GMA News (Philippines), at a press conference in Manila on October 29, Philippine Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Laura Del Rosario announced that President Benigno Aquino III will attend the APEC summit in Beijing (November 9-11).
She stated that the South China Sea dispute between the Philippines and China would not be discussed at the conference. She explained that APEC economies extend to South America, so the parties would not discuss a dispute solely concerning China and Southeast Asia.
She affirmed that APEC has never discussed any political issues at its summits. She stated that at the upcoming APEC summit, the Philippines and China will focus on economic matters to ensure that any unresolved economic issues from this year's summit will be raised again at next year's APEC summit in the Philippines.
The previous day, according to the Philippine news site Rappler, speaking at the 14th Global CEO Conference in Singapore, organized by Forbes magazine (USA), Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confided that the maritime disputes in Asia had kept him awake at night because he was worried about regional peace.
He said he sensed increasing tension in the disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea. He stated, "I don't think either party will push the dispute beyond the limit. We must hope no missteps occur."
He argued that disputes cannot be resolved quickly because touching upon sovereignty touches upon national pride, and therefore no country will be willing to compromise. He concluded that the disputing parties can live with disagreements and find ways to manage them. He hoped that future generations would find ways to resolve disputes.
Regarding the US, he suggested that the US could play a constructive role in maritime disputes. He noted that, as a Pacific power, the US needs to focus more on Asia and maintain good relationships in Asia, including with China.
According to PLO
