Aquino seeks EU support in resolving South China Sea dispute

Aquino seeks EU support in resolving South China Sea dispute

President Aquino met with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso at the EC headquarters in the Berlaymont building in Brussels, Belgium with both leaders emphasizing the need to settle differences between China and its neighbors peacefully through international arbitration.

Aquino said China, which claims around 90 percent of the South China Sea, will have to listen noting that the EU is its biggest trading partner. Beijing has rejected international arbitration, insisting that disputes should be resolved bilaterally with individual claimants like the Philippines.

Barroso, in a joint press conference with Aquino at the EC headquarters, said the European Union, is a party to the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which seeks to promote perpetual peace, everlasting amity and cooperation in the region.

Aquino assured Barroso that the Philippines remains committed to advancing a peaceful, rules-based resolution to the disputes in the South China Sea that is based on international law. The Philippine President said he was banking on the EU to convince other parties to refrain from activities that increase tensions and clarify their claims based on the Unclos.