Philippine President cuts short visit to China.
The Philippine president has decided to shorten his visit to China next week to four days, down from the originally planned six days.
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo:Inquirer. |
Philippine media reported that President Duterte will arrive in Beijing on August 28. He will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang before departing on August 31. The original plan was for the Philippine president's longest visit to China, from August 28 to September 2.
Philippine Assistant Foreign Secretary Meynardo Montealagre also confirmed that Duterte will not be attending the planned inauguration of a school named after his mother in Fujian province, southeastern China, on September 2nd. "The trip to Fujian will be postponed to a more appropriate time in the future," Montealagre said.
Robert Borje, head of the Philippine Presidential Protocol Office, said the decision to cancel the trip to Fujian province was due to logistical issues.
Previously, Duterte had pledged to raise the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the South China Sea during his visit to Beijing, saying he would rather cancel meetings with Chinese leaders than be prevented from addressing the issue. According to Duterte, only when the ruling is mentioned can the two sides continue discussions about exploring and exploiting "valuable resources beneath the surface."
