Philippine experts urge Duterte to start bilateral talks with China earlier

Philippine experts on Wednesday urged incoming President Rodrigo Duterte to start bilateral talks with China earlier, saying the new administration need not wait for the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague before talking to China.

"You don't have to finish that arbitration. Nobody even knows when it will be finished," Alberto Encomienda, former secretary-general of Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center at Department of Foreign Affairs, told Xinhua.

He added that the Philippines could even withdraw the case.

For her part, Aileen Baviera, professor at the University of the Philippines, said bilateral talks with China "can be an avenue for resuming the confidence-building process" between the two countries.

"Bilateral talks can also assure China that there is no intention to use arbitration and everything else to harm China's security interests," said Baviera.

Duterte, who will be sworn into office on June 30, has said he would wait for the final decision of the court, but said that he will pursue bilateral talks with China if current efforts do not progress. He even said that he might seek possible joint exploration in the South China Sea.

Relations between China and the Philippines worsened during President Benigno Aquino's six-year rule over the South China Sea dispute.

The Philippines unilaterally initiated an arbitration case against China in January 2013 over the issue with the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday issued a statement saying China adheres to the solemn position of non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration, and will stay committed to settling the relevant disputes with the Philippines in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiation. Endit