Modi in Manila LIVE: Packed Day Ahead for PM, to Hold Talks With US President Donald Trump

The Chinese premier said Beijing will actively explore joint development of the South China sea to make it a “sea of cooperation and friendship” for the benefit of China and Philippines. “China will work with the Philippines to continue to properly handle the maritime issues through friendly bilateral consultation by giving full play to such mechanisms as the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea,” Li wrote in his article.

With China’s controversial military buildup in the South China Sea likely to be a major issue at the ASEAN summit, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday clearly reiterated Beijing’s long-held position that it wants to bilaterally resolve its disputes on the issue with its neighbours. In an article published in leading Manila newspapers, Li admitted that the bilateral relationship between China and the Philippines had “encountered a setback” due to the South China Sea issue but it was back on track due to the appropriate handling of the issue by the two sides.

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The White House has not referred to ‘Asia Pacific’ even once in Donald Trump’s first visit to Asia since taking office. Neither has it offered an explanation for the use of this new phrase.

Today, PM Narendra Modi will address the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits on Tuesday and take part in the special celebrations of the ASEAN grouping’s 50th anniversary. Issues related to the South China Sea, North Korea’s nuclear missile tests and the overall security architecture in the region are set to come up for discussion during the ASEAN summit. On the sidelines of the main events, Modi is also likely to have a series of other bilateral meetings with his counterparts of Japan and Australia, Shinzo Abe and Malcolm Turnbull.

PM Narendra Modi was seen chit-chatting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at the reception held for the leaders. He also held brief interactions with several other leaders who attended the reception hosted by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the mega SMX Convention Centre in Pasay City in Manila.

Ahead of the bilateral meeting scheduled for today between PM Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Modi held separate pull-aside meetings with Trump and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of a gala dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN.

Soon after the quad-coalition meeting, all the four countries issued separate statements listing Indo-Pacific as the major area of their discussions and resolved to work towards upholding a rules-based order and ensuring respect for international law in the region. The meeting came ahead of the ASEAN summit today, which is likely to discuss the security challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region and China’s military expansion in the South China Sea.

Giving shape to security cooperation under the proposed quadrilateral coalition, India, US, Japan and Australia on Monday held their first official-level talks to keep the Indo-Pacific region ‘free, open and inclusive’, a move that comes amid China’s growing military presence in the strategic area.