SINGAPORE Foreign Minister (FM) Vivian Balakrishnan and Philippine senators on Wednesday met to explore more areas of bilateral cooperation, particularly in agriculture, trade and maritime security.
“The senators and foreign minister (Mr. Balakrishnan) also agreed that the tensions in the South China Sea must be eased and that greater dialogue and restraint among countries must be encouraged in order to maintain peace, stability and prosperity of the region,” the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau (PRIB) said in a statement.
The visiting Singaporean official met with Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri and Senators Aquilino Martin D. Pimentel III, Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay and Cynthia A. Villar and “discussed the potentials of greater trade and investments, especially in agriculture and transportation,” it said.
Mr. Balakrishnan and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo on Tuesday said both countries are pushing for a code of conduct in the South China Sea to ease Chinese aggression in the waterway.
“Nevertheless, (we are pushing this) because we believe it is one way to reduce the possibility of complications of collisions or disputes occur in the waves of the South China Sea,” he told a news briefing.
Mr. Zubiri also thanked Singapore for watching over the rights of 200,000 Filipino workers based in the country. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
