FOREIGN Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. is in China on a three-day visit from October 9-11, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced late Friday.
“Upon the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. will undertake an Official Visit to the People’s Republic of China from October 9 to 11,” the DFA said in a brief announcement late Friday.
It is Locsin’s first official trip overseas since February 2020, said DFA..
Locsin and Wang are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting to discuss the advancement of Philippines-China cooperation and the revitalization of engagement across various fronts, under the “new normal”. Both officials will also discuss regional and global topics of mutual interest, said a brief DFA announcement.
The invitation and the visit come just weeks after President Duterte told the UN General Assembly that the Philippines will never allow the dilution of the 2016 arbitral ruling that struck down China’s “excessive” claims in the South China Sea, in a complaint brought by Manila. Several countries have weighed in against Beijing, telling it to honor the ruling.
Before Duterte’s UNGA debut, Locsin had asserted in July, on the fourth anniversary of that international victory, that there would be no compromise on the ruling. At one point, he said Chinese contractors that were involved in China’s reclamation and dredging in the West Philippine Sea should not be allowed to take part in any Philippine infrastructure project.