Await UNPCA decision before embarking on bilateral talks: Del Rosario

The administration of incoming President Rodrigo Duterte should wait for the United Nations (UN) arbitral tribunal to issue a ruling on the case lodged by the Philippines before pursuing bilateral talks with China. So said former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, adding that the Duterte administration must have a strategy on how it would deal with the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling over the country’s maritime claims against China. Image courtesy of vietnamnet.vn “I think, it’s only a matter of timing. For example, in terms of the bilateral negotiations, we favor negotiations but the timing is, it must be geared towards the conclusion of the arbitration court,” said del Rosario. The former DFA secretary made the statement in a forum, titled “Asia-Pacific perspective on the implementing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement: Insights on the Bilateral Security Dialogue,” held Tuesday at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) in Camp [...]