Apec no place to discuss S. China Sea: Beijing

China’s top diplomat on Tuesday asked the Philippines not to raise contentious issues — an obvious reference to the Asian neighbours’ territorial spats — in an annual economic summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Manila next week, a Filipino official said.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s request, relayed to his Philippine counterpart Albert del Rosario during talks in Manila, underscored Beijing’s objection to any effort to bring the long-raging disputes to an international arena, where rivals like Washington could use it to criticize Beijing.

Non-inclusion of the thorny topic would also shield Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to attend the November 18-19 Apec summit in Manila, from a potentially embarrassing confrontation. “They said they hope that contentious issues will not be raised during Apec,” department of foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said in a news conference, when asked if the disputes were discussed in Mr Wang’s hour-long talk with Mr del Rosario.

Mr Wang also mentioned that his Manila visit was to ensure that Mr Xi’s visit “will be smooth, safe and successful,” Mr Jose said.

Mr Wang also met President Benigno Aquino III in the first visit by a top Chinese official to Manila since the two Asian neighbours’ relations soured in the last three years due to overlapping claims in the South China Sea, a regional conflict that involves four other Asian governments, whose leaders are attending the Manila meetings.

Mr Aquino said he welcomed Mr Xi’s decision to join the meetings and pro-mised “the warmth of Fil-ipino hospitality,” according to presidential spokes-man Herminio Coloma.

The Philippines, Mr Jose said, agreed that the meetings in Manila would not be the proper forum to discuss the conflicts, adding that Manila has a pending legal challenge against Beijing’s massive claims in the South China Sea before an international tribunal in The Hague.

“In the context of Apec, we both agreed that Apec is an economic forum and it won’t be a proper venue to discuss political and security issues,” Mr Jose said. Asked if other leaders can raise the thorny issue, Mr Jose said they can.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has swept 20,000 ho-meless from the streets, cancelled hundreds of flig-hts and declared public holidays in Manila to ensure a safe and efficient summit of 21 world leaders next week, officials say. Major streets in the usually chaotic capital are being closed to traffic to speed up the shuttling of delegates to the Apec summit and related meetings.