Abe, Duterte meet on sidelines of Laos meetings after US spat | ABS-CBN

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Abe, Duterte meet on sidelines of Laos meetings after US spat

Abe, Duterte meet on sidelines of Laos meetings after US spat

Kyodo News

 | 

Updated Sep 06, 2016 04:49 PM PHT

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

VIENTIANE - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte held a meeting in Laos on Tuesday on the sidelines of regional meetings in the Southeast Asian country, following the cancellation of the U.S.-Philippines leaders' talks over Duterte's verbal blasting of President Barack Obama.

Abe kicked off their first meeting since Duterte took office in June by addressing his counterpart, saying "I would like to congratulate you on assuming the office of President of the Republic of the Philippines," adding that "Mr. President is quite a famous figure also in Japan, and I am very excited to see you in person."

He also expressed condolences to Duterte following an explosion in the Philippine city of Davao on Friday evening which killed 14 people. Duterte was formerly the mayor of Davao.

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Abe and Duterte were expected to affirm their countries' agreement on maritime security issues during the meeting, following up on talks last month between Duterte and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

In the August meeting, both sides reaffirmed the importance of the resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful means, making a veiled reference to China's expansionary activities at sea.

Japan has urged the countries involved to comply with the July ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague that sided with the Philippines in rejecting China's territorial claims in much of the South China Sea as having no legal basis.

The Philippines is part of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, meeting Tuesday through Thursday in the Laotian capital Vientiane. The reaction to the ruling within ASEAN has been varied, reflecting the members' differing ties with China.

Japan's vigor in backing the ruling is linked to its own tensions with China over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing, which calls them Diaoyu.

Abe and Duterte may also have discussed Japan's ongoing commitment to assist the Philippines with infrastructure and development.

Attention is being paid to any mention by Abe in the meeting of concerns about human rights under Duterte's leadership.

According to media reports, Duterte unleashed a series of insults toward Obama on Monday in response to a reporter's question about how he would handle U.S. concerns about extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' anti-drugs campaign, prompting the White House to cancel planned talks in Laos.

On Tuesday, a statement issued by the Philippine government said the president "regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy" and "expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama."

==Kyodo

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